Pharmacology and Toxicology, 10 credits

At least the grade E at the courses in Introduction to biomedical science (1BI001) and General and organic chemistry (1BI000), and at least the grade pass at the parts Basal metabolism and Biochemical laboratory methods (3+2 credits) of the course Medical biochemistry (1BI002), and the part Cell biology (6 credits) of the course Cell biology and genetics (1BI003).

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• describe basic pharmacological principles within the field of pharmacokinetics (i.e. principles of absorption, distribution and elimination of drugs),
• describe interindividual differences in drug metabolism as well as interactions between different drugs,
• describe different classes of receptors which interact with drugs, and describe intracellular transduction mechanisms coupled to some of these receptors,
• explain principles for central and peripheral neurotransmission,
• describe mechanisms of action of drugs within the following fields: neuropsychopharmacology, general anaesthesia, local anaesthesia, analgesia, cardiovascular pharmacology, diuretic drugs, respiratory pharmacology, and gastrointestinal pharmacology,
• describe and explain toxicological principles, e.g. dose-effect relationships and methods for studying bioactivation and the toxicity of xenobiotics.

Medication is a very important part in the overall treatment of various diseases. This course intends to equip the students with basic knowledge of how drugs affect cells, organs and, not the least, all organisms. The pharmacological part will mainly focus on general pharmacological principles. The toxicology part intends to give the students knowledge of toxicological principles such as dose response, and how bioactivation and toxicity of xenobiotic substances are studied.

The course consists of lectures, supervised laboratory practicals, and supervised group seminars. The group seminars will review and substantially expand upon the material provided in the lecture series. These seminars train the students to independently search for and assess relevant information, and provide an opportunity to discuss problems and theoretical concepts with faculty members that are actively involved in research in the fields above. The course also includes a seminar task which will be solved by using the pedagogical approach “Problem based learning”.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (2 credits). Examined through an oral quiz graded as fail/pass.

Laboratory work in pharmacology (1.5 credits). Graded as fail/pass. The students have to participate in all laboratory practicals to be graded as pass.

Group assignment in pharmacology and toxicology (2.5 credits). Graded as falit/pass. The students have to participate actively in all group works to be graded as pass.

Integration of pharmacology and toxicology (4 credits). Examined by a written exam graded as F/Fx/E/D/C/B/A.

The grade of the course is based on the grade of the component Integration of pharmacology and toxicology.

Compulsory participation
The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence in accordance with the course director's instructions, the student's results for respective part will not be registered in LADOK.

Limited number of examinations or practical training sessions
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student is not approved after four examinations, he/she is recommended to retake the course at the next regular course date, and may, after that, participate in two more examinations. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided.

The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but not participated in, will not be counted as an examination.

After each course occasion there will be at least six occasions for the examination within a two-year period from the end of the course.

The course language is English.

Course evaluation is carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Board of Higher Education.

Oral evaluation in the form of course council meetings will be carried out during the course.