BIOL448 - Principles Drug Action

Principles of Drug Action covers the concepts of pharmacological sciences as they relate to biochemistry, cell biology, and drug therapy. The intent of the course is to provide a solid grounding in targets of drug action, dose-response relationships, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics. The grounding is achieved by a discussion of these concepts explicitly and, through selected examples, implicitly. The first part of the course covers each of the concepts. Emphasis is placed on the integration with principles of cell biology and biochemistry. The second part of the course covers selected therapeutic applications. The applications chosen fall within four areas: cardiovascular, brain and behavior, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. They are used to recapitulate important concepts and provide insight into the interplay between pharmacology and human physiology. The applications and the areas they represent are by no means comprehensive, but students will be able to pursue additional interests through papers.