The aim of the degree is to develop, within the context of the discipline of pharmacology, the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding to pursue a productive and satisfying career.
Courses should ensure students have adequate knowledge and understanding of related disciplines (e.g. biochemistry, genetics, chemistry, physiology) to be able to fully understand the material presented in a pharmacology course.
In addition to coverage of the core content, courses should provide options and should reflect a balance between the breadth of the discipline and provision of opportunities to study topics in depth. A variety of teaching and learning styles should be utilised. Assessment should reflect all the prime aims of the degree and provide a record of individual achievements. The course must take into account the diversity of the students abilities and aspirations.>
Courses should provide CORE MATERIAL and develop, exemplify and integrate this by the provision of a significant number of SPECIAL TOPIC AREAS to different and appropriate depth which may be related to departmental strengths and research interests. The appropriate skills and attitudes should be developed throughout the course which should include a research project comprising a substantial piece of pharmacology-related work in a defined laboratory or non-laboratory area.
CORE MATERIAL.
Sources of drugs, their nature, use and place in treatment of disease and in society
Selectivity of drugs, species variation, wanted and unwanted drug action, allergy to drugs
Drug dependence, addiction and abuse.
Absorption, distribution, biotransformation and excretion of drugs; Pharmacokinetics
Drug discovery and development (including toxicology)
Clinical trials
Animal use and the law
Molecular biology applied to pharmacology (Biotechnological techniques, cloning
receptors, recombinant proteins for therapy, gene manipulation in animals, mutants and their uses)
Ligand binding
Targets of drug action (including receptors, enzymes, transporters and others)
The nature of receptors and their superclasses
Transduction mechanisms
Quantitative effects of drugs (dose-response relationships)
Agonism, antagonism and partial agonism
Experimental design
Statistical analysis
Drug effects on cell growth and division in microbiology and cancer
Chemical messengers, mechanisms and properties of inter- and intra- cellular signalling
pathways
Mechanism involved in hormonal and neurohumoral transmission and the effects of drugs
on these
processes.
SPECIAL TOPIC AREAS. (not inclusive). Here, mainly a disease based grouping
has been used. It is
equally possible to cover similar areas using a more mechanistic approach (e.g. Drugs acting on
5-HT
receptors; Vascular control mechanisms). Both approaches have validity and are acceptable.
Anticancer drugs
Antimicrobials (antibacterials, antivirals)
Autonomic pharmacology
The neuromuscular junction
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
Drugs used in Movement disorders (e.g. Parkinsons disease + Huntingtons)
Benzodiazepines
Antiepileptic drugs
Cognitive enhancers
Antiobesity drugs and appetite control
General anaesthetics
Local anaesthetics
Control mechanisms in endocrine function and drugs affecting endocrine function
Drugs affecting thyroid function
Drugs affecting blood sugar
Sex hormones and contraception
Profertility drugs
Antihypertensives
Antianginal
Antidysrhythmics
Cardiac stimulants
Anticoagulants, drugs affecting the blood, drugs affecting plasma lipids
Renal pharmacology and diuretics
Drugs affecting the gastrointestinal system
Immunopharmacology
Drugs affecting the inflammatory process
Drugs affecting respiration
Analgesic drugs
Apoptosis
SKILLS
------Laboratory skills
The ability to work accurately, in an organised manner, observing appropriate safely
precautions over a
range of pharmacological methods.
Animal handling and the use of a range of animal preparations.
The ability to carry out a written methodology in a laboratory context over a range of
methodologies.
Data gathering skills; data validation, analysis and interpretation skills;
An awareness of GLP;
An awareness of the scientific method and the ability to apply knowledge of experimental
design.
Generic skills: communications skills (one-to-one and presentations), group working,
problem solving,
report writing, data handling (including numeracy), critical analysis, information
retrieval/literature
searching, time management, self-discipline and ability to work without close supervision.
IT skills including the use of wordprocessing, spread-sheets, data-bases, graphics and
presentation
packages. Methods of information retrieval and literature searching within databases and on the
Internet.
The identification of self-development needs, their fulfilment and the development of the
ability to
participate in life-long-learning. Career planning skills.
ATTITUDES.
A questioning attitude based on intellectual curiosity and an open mind;
Professional responsibility and integrity;
A professional attitude to animal and human experimental subjects;
Adaptability and motivation;
Constructive self-criticism and ability to reflect on performance;
An eagerness to achieve objectives;
A willingness to share with colleagues within the confines of confidentiality;
An interest in continuing self-education and self-development.
January 1999