Drug Discovery and Future Medicines
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| LIFE3123 | Life Sciences | 3 | 20 | Spring UK |
- Code
- LIFE3123
- School
- Life Sciences
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
This 3rd year module will build on content delivered in year 2, adding further detail and complexity. Students will also be taken through the drug discovery process, including: overview of the drug discovery process (target identification- human genetics data; target-driven drug discovery, HTS strategies; target validation; QSAR); Target driven drug discovery. This will be linked to future/ novel targets for CVD, obesity, diabetes, immune diseases, Cancer, Respiratory disease, CNS disorders. Students will gain a knowledge of the impact of disease on pharmacokinetic aspects of drugs and how understanding the pathophysiology of diseases can lead to new therapeutic targets. Students will also learn how to interpret in vivo data, and determine human dose prediction.
Students will understand how to design a clinical trial and clinical pharmacology/ translational medicine- analysis of wanted and unwanted effects of medicines on patients and clinical trials participants. Students will also learn to critically appraise cellular and animal models of diseases.
Please note that the reassessment is exam only.
Target Students
This module is for students on the BSc Pharmacology degree U6UPHCLG (B211).
Classes
This module may be delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and labs etc
Assessment
- 15% Coursework 1: Write up of group work from workshops (1500 words).
- 5% Presentation 1: Presentation of group work from workshops (15 minutes).
- 80% Exam 1 (2-hour): Essay based exam
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
To cover the pharmacological treatment of disease, both current and future treatments, in detail. To understand the drug discovery and development process, including design of clinical trials and interpretation of clinical data, and to understand the role of pharmacologists in the drug discovery process.Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
1. Explain the multidisciplinary nature of drug discovery and the role played by pharmacology.
2. Describe the principles of clinical trial design.
3. Have knowledge of how pathophysiology can give insights into drug targets and therapeutic avenues.
4. Describe the use of gene modification techniques in drug discovery and development.
5. Have knowledge of commercial drug discovery techniques.
6. How knowledge of how medicine formulation impacts on drug action.
7. Be aware of cellular and animal models of human disease, and be able to critically appraise those models.
8. Understand the impact of disease on pharmacokinetics of a drug.
9. Explain pharmacogenetics.