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| Version 2013-2014 |
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| PHAC2000-1 | Molecular Pharmacology
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| Duration : | 12h Th |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Julien Hanson |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Course contents :
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| Pharmacology is a major field of biomedical sciences that studies the mechanisms of drug action. From an historical point of view, hypothesis were inferred from models based on whole organisms, tissues or cells. The development of molecular biology during the XXth century gave birth to a knew field called "Molecular Pharmacology". This new area considers the action of drugs and ligands at the macromolecule level and thus exploits molecular biology techniques to decipher molecular drug action mechanisms. Thus, the mode of action of receptors and their structures, even in the absence of any ligand, i.e. as a protein engaged in macromolecular complexes triggering cellular signalling pathways is also envisaged.
After an extensive review of basic principles ruling the interaction between a ligand and its receptor, more applied notions will be developed. The current available strategies based on molecular pharmacology to quantify the activation of a receptor by a ligand will be emphasised. The existing approaches to identify new ligands will also be described.
Main topics that will be discussed:
- Definitions: pharmacology, receptors and drugs
- Different drug-receptor interactions: agonists, antagonists, allosteric modulators, etc...
- Quantification of the ligand-receptor interaction: affinity and efficacy, concentration-response effect
- Major receptor families and the main signalling pathways they are coupled to.
- Bioassays: definitions and interest, general principles, high throughput screening
- Bioassay development: practical issues, sensitivity and robustness, screening parameters, recombinant systems, measurement systems. |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| At the end of the course, students must know the basic principles of pharmacology and have understood the activation mechanisms and signalling pathways for the most common receptor families. Furthermore, they should be able to identify practical and theoretical methods for the quantification of the response induced by a ligand on its receptor. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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| Prerequisites:
- Molecular and cellular biology
- Biochemistry
- Organic Chemistry (Basics) |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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| Lectures |
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| Face-to-Face |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| The following textbooks are an excellent support for the course. They are available at the Life Sciences ULg Library
e-books
- Pharmacology in Drug Discovery, Kenakin TP
- A Pharmacology Primer, Kenakin TP
- Pharmacology: Principle and practice, Hacker, Messer & Bachmann
Printed books
- Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, Eleventh Edition, Mc Graw-Hill, New York, 2006
- Pharmacology, Seventh Edition, HP Rang, MM Dale, JM Ritter and RJ Flower Eds, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier 2012 |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| Oral exam on 2 subjects presented during the course. Student may prepare during 20 minutes |
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Work placement(s) :
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| Not applicable |
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Organizational remarks :
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Contacts :
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| Dr. Julien Hanson, Ph.D.
F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate
Molecular Pharmacology
GIGA-Signal Transduction
&
Medicinal Chemistry
Drug Research Centre (CIRM)
University of Liege
CHU, B34, Tour GIGA (+4)
1, av. de l'Hopital
B-4000 Liege
Belgium
Phone: +3243664748
Fax: +3243664362
e-mail : J.Hanson@ulg.ac.be |
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