Systemen op moleculair niveau

Course goals

The aim of this course is to provide students with a foundation in the chemical, pharmacological and analytical principles underlying the behaviour and action of medicines in the body. Students develop the knowledge and skills to analyse and understand the properties of medicines, as a basis for further study in formulation, application and technology in (veterinary) healthcare.

Knowledge and Application Objectives

The student is able to:

• describe the molecular structure of (bio)molecules and explain how they interact with other biomolecules.
• identify the key physicochemical properties of biomolecules and medicines, and recognise and classify functional groups.
• apply reaction kinetics to explain the stability of molecules.
• explain the basic concepts of pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination) and calculate and interpret the associated pharmacokinetic parameters.
• explain and apply the basic concepts of drug action (ligand–receptor interaction, signal transduction and pharmacodynamic parameters).
• describe the analytical methods used in the diagnosis and analysis of (bio)molecules and substantiate their applications.

Research Skills

The student is able to:

• apply analytical techniques, such as HPLC and spectrophotometry, to the analysis of (bio)molecules and interpret the resulting data in a diagnostic context.
• design and carry out a laboratory protocol, and analyse and evaluate the results.

Content

Medicines play a crucial role in healthcare, but to truly understand how they work, their side effects and their applications, they must be studied at the smallest possible level: the molecule. In this course, you explore how the chemical structure and properties of medicines determine their behaviour inside and outside the body — from absorption and distribution to receptor binding and elimination.

Systems at Molecular Level offers an integrated perspective on chemical and pharmacological concepts. You learn not only how medicines work, but also why they are formulated in a particular way, how they interact with biological systems, and how properties such as solubility or stereochemistry contribute to efficacy — or give rise to side effects.

The course is structured around two interconnected themes, which guide you step by step through the journey a medicine takes: from molecular structure and properties, through absorption and distribution in the body, to interaction with receptors and ultimate effect. You work with concepts and parameters, apply analytical techniques and develop your ability to reason from molecular principles.

These two themes shape the structure and content of the course:

1. Structure and properties of medicines (molecular basis, physicochemical behaviour and analytical techniques)
2. Pharmacokinetics (the medicine's journey through the body) and pharmacodynamics (its action in the body)

This course is part of the interdisciplinary bachelor's programme Care, Health and Society (ZGS). Although the body and the patient are important points of reference, you also learn to think at a systems level: how the properties of medicines relate to processes at the molecular, cellular and technological scale. This provides a solid foundation for further study in clinical application, formulation and population health.

Please note In addition to laboratory sessions, attendance at other teaching sessions may be compulsory for assessment on certain assessment components. Please refer to the course guide and the relevant component descriptions for details.