
- UCAS course code
- C132
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Clinical Drug Development
Unit code | BIOL21302 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 10 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Offered by | School of Biological Sciences |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Clinical Drug Development explains the appliance of science whereby new drugs are discovered and developed, from initial ideas through to full clinical use in man. You will learn that consideration of how an individuals handling of drugs, i.e. pharmacokinetics; is important in the development of new drugs and about the interplay between business aspects and the biosciences.
Pre/co-requisites
Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Drugs: From Molecules to Man | BIOL10822 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
Aims
- To explain the appliance of science whereby new drugs are discovered and developed from initial ideas through to full clinical use in man
- To explain how consideration of how an individual’s handling of drugs, i.e. pharmacokinetics; is important in the development of new drugs
- Illustrate the interplay between business aspects and the biosciences
Learning outcomes
Students will gain an understanding of:
- The major approaches to drug discovery
- Application of molecular biology techniques to identifying lead compounds
- Methods for determining the pharmacological and toxicological properties of compounds
- The role of pharmacokinetic principles in the drug discovery process
- Regulatory requirements for drugs
- Clinical evaluation of drugs
Syllabus
- Overview: Medicines: the discovery processes. The pharmaceutical industry.
- Initial stages: Target discovery. Applications of molecular biology. Lead discovery. Lead optimisation. In silico methods. Biomarkers.
- Measurement of drug properties: Assay techniques. Agonists (full, partial and inverse). Competitive antagonists. In vivo models. Pharmacokinetic profiles of compounds. Pharmacogenetics. Formulations. Pre-clinical safety assessment.
- Later stages: Pharmaceutical development. Clinical evaluation: Phase I and II. Concepts in clinical trial design.
e-Learning Activity
- Discussion board will be open to encourage dialogue between students
- Additional resources to support the lecture content will be provided.
- eLearning self-assessment modules: four question sets based on the course content and additional reading will be presented for summative assessment.
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Collaborative PowerPoint poster undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. Data is drip-fed to each team on a regular basis. Students are required to analyse this data and determine the next step to be taken in the drug discovery process. Some elearning modules will require students to analyse data and experimental results.
- Group/team working
- Collaborative presentation. Students work in teams of 5 or 6. Students are randomly allocated to teams and therefore may have to work with students they do not know.
- Innovation/creativity
- Collaborative presentation undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. Opportunity to generate an eye catching poster which also includes the appropriate level of scientific detail.
- Leadership
- Collaborative presentation undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. Each team may identify a team leader.
- Project management
- Collaborative presentation undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. The students spend approximately 9 weeks on this project. Information is drip fed to them throughout the project.
- Oral communication
- Students encouraged to answer questions during lectures.
- Problem solving
- Collaborative presentation undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. Data is drip-fed to each team on a regular basis. Students are required to analyse this data and determine the next step to be taken in the drug discovery process. This will require analysis of primary sources.. Some elearning modules are based on problem solving.
- Research
- Collaborative presentation undertaken by teams of 5 or 6 students. See below with regards to problem-solving skills. Students will need to determine appropriate experimental techniques to generate data. Additional reading material provided to students with each lecture.
- Written communication
- Collaborative presentation (poster, podcast, YouTube video) looking at the drug discovery process. Students work in teams of 5 or 6. Short note questions in examination.
- Other
- Business awareness. Underpinning this unit is the need to understand the relationship between business aspects and the biosciences. To this end, we have three guest lecturers (AstraZeneca, Gentronix and ICON) who deliver a total of 4 lectures on this unit.
Assessment methods
Method | Weight |
---|---|
Other | 5% |
Written exam | 80% |
Set exercise | 15% |
Coursework components include a drug discovery game (15%) and eLearning modules (5%). Summative 1.5 hour examination (80%) comprising MCQs (40% of exam) and short-note questions (60% of exam).
Feedback methods
- Students will be encouraged to ask questions during lectures and receive immediate feedback from staff and also via the Blackboard Discussion Board, which will be the main vehicle for providing feedback. Staff will also give individual feedback to questions raised by email.
- Students will receive feedback throughout the drug discovery game.
Recommended reading
Please note Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, Flower, R & Henderson G. Rang & Dale's Pharmacology (7th edition), 2012, Churchill Livingstone is available as an ebook.
Recommended Reading
- Griffin JP & O'Grady J, The Textbook of Pharmaceutical Medicine (5th edition), London BMJ, 2005, Recommended
- Rang HP, Drug Discovery and Development: Technology in Transition, Churchill Livingstone, 2005, Recommended
- Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, Flower R & Henderson, G, Rang & Dale's Pharmacology (7th edition), Churchill Livingstone, 2012, Recommended
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Assessment written exam | 1.3 |
Lectures | 22 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 76.7 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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Alison Gurney | Unit coordinator |