BPS2012 Pharmacology II: drug action
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
BPS2012 Pharmacology II: drug action is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, offered in 2020 in Semester 2 at Parkville. It needs BPS1012 and unlocks 4 units.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2020
- Semester 2
- Parkville
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 2 other tasks
This is the 2020 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before BPS2012
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
After BPS2012
4 units list BPS2012 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
Overview
Pharmacology II will introduce students to advanced concepts related to drug action, including descriptions of antagonist activity, partial and inverse agonists, allosteric modulators and biased ligands. This unit also extends beyond drug-receptor interactions to show how signal transduction processes regulate cellular activities. The gastrointestinal system will be used as an exemplar to demonstrate how the normal physiological function of an organ system can be used to define mechanisms of disease and allow for the identification of suitable drug targets.
Students will practice laboratory techniques and experimental approaches to solving pharmacological research questions. They will also record, interpret and communicate the outcomes of such investigations to a variety of audiences.
Topics to be covered include:
• Characteristics of drug interaction with receptors (agonist and antagonist quantitation);
• Properties of G-protein coupled receptors and interactions with signal transduction systems;
• Ion channels, transporters and intracellular calcium signalling.
Offerings in 2020
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Parkville | On campus |
Assessment
- Test, quiz or workshop short answer questions10%
- Laboratory class40%
- Final examination50%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Describe how pharmacologically active chemicals might affect living systems through interactions with receptors;
- 2
Speculate upon the nature of drug action at receptors and likely intracellular signalling mechanisms;
- 3
Explain how receptor-mediated changes in intracellular calcium might regulate specific bodily functions;
- 4
Use our understanding of drug action at a cellular level to predict drug effects upon human health;
- 5
Record, analyse and critically interpret experimental data and report it in written and visual formats.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures24 hours
- Workshops14 hours
- Laboratories22 hours
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Twelve 1-hour online modules (discovery)
- Twenty-four 1-hour lectures
- Thirty-six hours of laboratory classes and workshops
On-line material coupled with interactive lectures (Q&A sessions)
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Rang and Pharmacology 8th or 9th edition
Technology resources
For more information on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) specifications and the technology systems and services available to students, review the Student Technology Essentials Handbook https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1041220/student-it-brochure.pdf
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr John Haynes
- Chief Examiners
- Dr John Haynes
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for BPS2012?
You need BPS1012 before you enrol.
What can I take after BPS2012?
BPS2012 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 4 units, including BPS3111, BPS3112, BPS3131 and BPS3132.
When is BPS2012 offered?
In 2020, BPS2012 runs in Semester 2 at Parkville.
Does BPS2012 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 2 other tasks.