Body-drug interactions

Most drugs are administered orally and undergo extensive modification before they ever reach their target location where they have the desired effect. What happens with the active pharmacological ingredient (API) in the body, ultimately determines the extend of the effect a drug will have. This is known as the pharmacokinetics of a drug, or in other words: what the body does to the drug.  Once at the target location, an API needs to interact with the target in order to exert an effect. The types of interactions vary, as do the consequent effects. This is known as the pharmacodynamics of a drug, or in other words: what the drug does to the body. This course will cover both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. You will learn the fundamentals of pharmacology, the clinical application of these concepts and their use in cutting-edge research. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a laboratory setting. In the initial lab skill days you will be introduced to basic lab skills and good laboratory practice (GLP). These skills can then be applied in the group lab project where you get the chance to design and execute your own experiment to answer your own research question. In addition, there will be a writing assignment with a pharmacodynamic focus in which you will learn about the role of ligand-receptor interactions in disease.

Work forms
The course will be taught on the basis of self-study modules, lectures, tutorials, “meet the expert” seminars and feedback question sessions. In addition, big part of the course will consist of lab skill days and a group lab project. Before Christmas you will individually complete the lab skills days in which you get acquainted with the lab and learn the techniques needed for your own project. After Christmas, the group lab projects will start where you get to design and conduct your own experiments to answer a research question of your own choosing. Furthermore, there will be a writing assignment in which you both develop your writing skills and deepen your knowledge on the pharmacodynamic influences in disease.