In vitro models of disease for pharmacology
Beschrijving
Course goals
- to provide knowledge in the design and fabrication tools of in vitro models;
- to equip the student with knowledge on the potential of in vitro models as tools to evaluate the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of (newly developed) drugs;
- to explain the advantages and limitations of in vitro models and make the student knowledgeable on how such models have advanced the process of drug development;
- to provide the understanding of in vitro models as to tools to reduce animal experimentation in drug development;
- to familiarize the students with the current in vitro models available at UU.
- Describe the basic designs for in vitro models (organoids, on-a-chip, stem cells, cell lines, (complex) co-cultures);
- Describe the advantages and limitations of the most important in vitro model designs;
- Identify the design features of an in vitro model (selection of cells, in which configuration, which drugs to test) in order to validate the model for a specific biomedical and/or pharmacological application;
- Describe and explain the advantages and disadvantages of the use of in vitro models (of disease) for pharmacological applications.
- Define and judge ethical aspects of preclinical research;
- Propose an in vitro research study where a specific pathophysiology can be reproduced and therapeutic options can be tested;
- Present (spoken and written) an infographic on the available in vitro models for a specific disease/ drug.
Content
The development of new medicines is hampered by attrition rates due to lack of efficacy or unexpected side effects, due to which eight out of nine drug candidates entering the clinical testing phase fail. The low predictive value of cell culture and animal models, used in the early phases of drug development, for effects in humans poses a major problem. In particular, drug disposition can markedly differ between experimental animals and humans. The use of more advanced in vitro models to evaluate pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs, as well as their efficacy and potency to gradually replace traditional animal experiments is a novel trend in drug research.
In this course, we will build on the basic knowledge of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug development that students have acquired in the 1st and 2nd year courses, to unravel the use of in vitro models to advance drug research.
Current drawbacks of animal models for various pathologies, together with the necessity of the 3Rs (reduction, refinement and replacement) concerning animal experiments in drug research will be lectured. Advanced cellular systems, biofabrication technologies and tools to model and to study the pathology of various chronic diseases will be studied. These include, among others, stem cell technologies, CRISPR/CAS9 for gene editing, organoids, microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip, imaging, infections models, cellular architectures (2D versus 3D) and multi-organ interactions. Special attention will be given to standardization and regulatory aspects. Finally, during meet-the-expert sessions, you will get acquainted with in vitro models developed at UU and interact with the researchers developing these models. A special session will be dedicated to speakers from Dutch pharmaceutical companies, who will provide concrete examples on how they use in vitro models in their pre-clinical work. Additionally, aspects related to ethics, standardization and (pre-)clinical implementation of in vitro models will be addressed.
Additional information
You will work in groups to prepare infographic (template will be provided). on current in vitro models (specific disease, drug screening platform, evaluation of drug toxicity) and possibilities of improvement. During 3 different sessions, you will meet with your group teacher to discuss the assignment. At the end of the course, besides delivering the infographic, you will present it to your peers. Each student will receive in advance the infographic of other groups and prepare questions for the presenting group.
In parallel, you will go on a hand-on practical on cell culture, microfluidics and organ on chip. The participation throughout the course and teacher meetings will be assessed.
Reviews0 reviews
Heb jij dit vak gevolgd?
Deel je ervaring met toekomstige studenten. Inloggen met je Universiteit Utrecht mailadres duurt één minuut.
Schrijf een review