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Module - LIFE2069 - Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
ProgrammeSoLS - Life Sciences Modules Database (Level 2)
C741 - B.Sc. Hons. Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine (Part 1 - Compulsory)
C742 - M.Sci. Hons. Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine (Part 1 - Compulsory)
C700 - B.Sc. Hons. Biochemistry (Part 1 - Restricted Group 2)
C703 - M.Sci. Hons. Biochemistry (Part 1 - Restricted Group 2)
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Year 2026/2027
Accrediting Bodies
HEFCE Biochemistry benchmarks
Royal Society of Biology
RSB Biochemistry subject specific outcomes
Module CodeLIFE2069
Credits20
Total Credits:
 
20.00
 
Level:
 
2
 
Target Students:
 
Please note, this module is capped at 200 places.Optional for all life science degrees.Compulsory for biochemistry and molecular medicine, medicinal and biological chemistry. Not available as an optional module to students outside the School of Life Sciences.
 
Summary Of Content:

There is a limited number of places on this module. Students are reminded that enrolments which are not agreed by the Offering School in advance may be cancelled without notice. This module will examine in depth the analysis of drug action, and its application to the design and use of current therapeutics. We will define what drugs are, the different ways they act at the cellular and molecular level, and pharmacokinetic principles underlying drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination.   This framework will provide the basis to explore the rationale and goals of treatment for clinical therapeutic case studies.  These will highlight major current challenges to human health – in cardiovascular and respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, CNS disorders, cancer and infectious disease.  Overall the student will develop a deep understanding of what the discipline of pharmacology represents, and its application to both basic biological research and current and future medical advances.
 
 
 

This module will examine in depth the analysis of drug action, and its application to the design and use of current therapeutics. We will define what drugs are, the different ways they act at the cellular and molecular level, and pharmacokinetic principles underlying drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination. This framework will provide the basis to explore the rationale and goals of treatment for clinical therapeutic case studies. These will highlight major current challenges to human health – in cardiovascular and respiratory disease, diabetes and obesity, CNS disorders, cancer and infectious disease. Overall the student will develop a deep understanding of what the discipline of pharmacology represents, and its application to both basic biological research and current and future medical advances.
 
Education Aims:
 
Offering School:
 
Life Sciences
 
Convenor:
 
 
 
Name
Dr Nicholas Holliday
 
 
 
 
Semester
Full Year UK
 
 
 
Requisites:
 
 
 
SubjectCourse Title
LIFE1029
Genes, Molecules and Cells
LIFE1032
Human Physiology
 
 
Additional Requirements:
 
 
 
Condition
Only available for Life Sciences students
Only available for students studying Medicinal & BioChem
 
 
Method and Frequency of Class:
 
 
 
ActivityNumber of WeeksNumber of sessionsDuration of a session
Lecture
20 weeks
2 week
1 hour
Practicum
1 week
1 week
5 hours
Workshop
2 weeks
1 week
2 hours
Workshop
1 week
1 week
3 hours
 
 
The teaching for this module consists of two lecture sessions per week, three workshops overall (two at two hours each and one at three hours) and one practical.
 
Method of Assessment:
 
Assessment TypeWeightRequirements
Coursework 1
40.00
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;"><span style="color:#003965;"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;">1,500 word dissertation focusing on a mechanism of drug action in the treatment of a (non case study) disease or disorder</span></span></span>
Coursework 3
10.00
<p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="color:#003965;"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;">Peer marking for group work in drug discovery group exercise</span></span></span>
Exam 1
50.00
90 minutes MCQ and text box questions exam
 
 
The teaching for this module consists of two lecture sessions per week, three workshops overall (two at two hours each and one at three hours) and one practical.
 
Assessment Period:
 
Assessed by end of Designated Period
 
     
 
Learning Outcome:
 

By the end of the module, students will be able to
(i) Describe the basic properties of drugs and their main cellular protein targets.

(ii) Define the different mechanisms of drug action, using appropriate terminology.

(iii) Analyse experimental data to obtain quantitative information about drug mechanisms

(iv) Explain the molecular basis for ligand-receptor interaction, and the signalling pathways associated with ion channels and different receptor superfamilies.

(v) Analyse the pharmacokinetic principles underlying drug handling by the body, and describe how these principles inform clinical guidelines – for example in designing dosing regimens, or when considering drug-drug interactions and inter-individual variation.

(vi) Identify how fundamental mechanisms of drug action inform drug discovery, the rationale and goals of pharmacological therapy, through a series of case studies.

(vii) Appraise pharmacological evidence to determine the validity, risks and benefits of different drug classes

(viii) Intrepret experimental data in teams to take evidence based decisions, within a drug discovery scenario.
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