School of Medical Sciences Aims of the course

The MEDSCI 204 course aims to provide a broad and wide-ranging introduction to drug action and toxicity built on a solid base of general principles. Its goals are to impart a working understanding of the nature, applications and implications of basic pharmacological and toxicological principles as they relate to clinical and biomedical sciences.

A pass in this course is necessary for students wishing to take third-year papers in Pharmacology. After completing this course, students will have a sound working knowledge of the following principles and concepts fundamental to pharmacology and toxicology, with exemplars from common clinically important drugs:

Pharmacodynamics: The nature and classification of types of drug targets; receptor-ligand relationships and signal transduction systems; agonism and antagonism; potency and efficacy; dose/concentration response relationships; time-course of drug action; pharmacodynamic parameters (pA2, Emax, Bmax, EC50, ED50, IC50, Kd).
Pharmacokinetics: Adsorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) principles & quantitation, and their affect on the onset, duration and intensity of drug action; importance of route of administration; physicochemical properties of drugs in relation to ADME principles; patient and environmental factors that influence ADME variables; pharmacokinetic parameters (bioavailability, loading/maintenance dose, T½, Cmax, Vd, Cl, AUC).
Toxicology: Toxicity classification and testing; types of toxicity and toxic compounds; the basis and consequences of drug interactions and adverse effects; selective toxicity/poisons (chemotherapy); chronic and acute toxicity; toxicological parameters (LD50, TD50, therapeutic index).
The principles of pharmacological manipulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as a classical model of pharmacological principles.
Clinical pharmacology: drug efficacy and population (heterogeneity) effects; side effects (positive and negative) and drug interactions; dose-response relationships, biomarkers & surrogate/clinical endpoints; time-course and duration of drug action; risk-benefit considerations; drug development/trials and monitoring.

The following skills will be mastered:

Drug literature and database searching
Review and analysis skills pertaining to drug information media
Scientific writing and referencing conventions

Remote learning requirements

If you can read this then you obviously have an internet connection, which is the first prerequisite for remote learning. Course guidelines, contact and assessment details and on-line labs are accessible through this site. Unfortunately Macs will not run the "PharmaCALogy" lab software. Some figures in the lectures are in colour so obviously access to a colour printer is advantageous, but not necessary.

Lectures

There are 34 lecture sessions plus 2 tests. Lectures are Mon 5-6 pm, Wed 1-2 pm, and Fri 8-9 am in Lib-B28, General Library Building, City Campus Grafton campus.

The structure of the course is as follows:

Topic	Lecture number	Week
Introduction to course & pharmacology	1 - 2	1
ADME & pharmacokinetics	3 - 9	1 - 3
Drug targets & actions (pharmacodynamics)	10- 13	4 - 5
Drugs of the autonomic nervous system	14 - 17	5 - 6
Clinical measurement of drug action	18
MID SEMESTER TEST		9
Toxicity & adverse drug actions	20 - 23	9 - 10
Selective toxicity - chemotherapeutics	24 - 27	10 - 11
Integrated / clinical pharmacology	28 - 35	12 - 14
LAB EXAM		14
FINAL EXAM

Lecture notes

All lecture notes are to be found in the course manual. Lecture notes (as pdf files) will also be available on-line via Cecil. This will allow you to read and print the lecture notes in colour if required and to follow the hyperlinks to accessory information. Acess Cecil.

Computer laboratories

To take full advantage of advances in computer assisted learning (CAL), interactive computer labs have been incorporated into the course using Pharma-CAL-ogy software that can be completed online, at home at your convenience, or at the University using the computers in the information commons. Computers are also for use in the MDC lab (Room 504-336, Building 504, FMHS) but please note that these are unavailable when the lab is booked for other courses. Full details on the labs, with instructions on how to access and install the software, can be found here.

Recommended text book

Pharmacology, 7th Edition. HP Rang, MM Dale, JM Ritter, R Flower, G Henderson. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2011. ISBN 978-0-7020-3471-8

Note: The text book is not a prerequisite for this course, but is very useful and will remain applicable for those doing third year Pharmacology courses.

Textbooks are available at the University Book Store (Kate Edger Information Commons, City Campus) or from Medical Books, 8 Park Road, Grafton (by the Medical School). A few copies may also be available at the Philson Library. NOTE: Text books are not compulsory for this course - the material covered in the lectures is sufficient to obtain a pass grade. However, additional background material included in the recommended text may enhance your understanding of the material and improve your performance in the exams.

Visit University Bookshop's website for more information