BPS3011 Disease-focused pharmacology
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
BPS3011 Disease-focused pharmacology is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, offered in 2023 in Semester 1 at Parkville. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 1
- Parkville
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Overview
This unit will provide a solid grounding of knowledge as to how biological systems are affected in disease states, and how drugs can be designed to better treat these conditions. This unit builds on previous physiology and pharmacology units and starts from a strong understanding of pathophysiological processes, the impact of chronic disease states on homeostasis, body function and complex behaviours. Logical approaches to designing experiments using different biological research methods to identify new therapeutic targets will be studied. Target identification and validation processes will be explored using disease conditions that affect key physiological and neurological processes, such as:
- cardiovascular diseases, e.g. myocardial infarct,
- metabolic disorders, e.g. diabetes, and
- diseases affecting neuronal signalling and central nervous system functions, e.g. Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Parkville | On campus |
Assessment
- Workshop SubmissionsWorkshop20%
- Research Skill AssessmentPresentation15%
- Progress testsIn class test30%
- Learning portfolio reflectionOther5%
- Learning portfolioFolio30%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Describe the pathophysiology of the six disease states under study.
- 2
Describe the physiological mechanisms affected by these disorders, and how these disrupted function/s result in the observed signs and symptoms.
- 3
Explain how affected physiological mechanisms can be manipulated by currently used drugs; their rationale of use, advantages and disadvantages, side effects and other limitations.
- 4
Design experiments using various biological research methods to identify targets which may be therapeutically useful in the treatment of the disorders to be studied
- 5
Analyse data obtained from research to see whether a new drug is considerably more effective or safer than an established one
- 6
Explain the different pharmacological targets which can be exploited to rebalance a patient's physiology in the treatment of disease
- 7
Explain the pathophysiology for one disease state and one associated drug treatment, relating the drug target to the disease state.
- 8
Demonstrate the development of written and oral communication skills appropriate for third-year students.
Workload and teaching
- Laboratories4 hours
- Applied sessions12 hours
- Assessments2 hours
- Workshops20 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Twelve 1-hour online modules (discovery)
- Twenty-four 1-hour interactive lectures (online modules)
- Ten 2-hour workshops
- Twelve 1-hour Q&A sessions
- Two 2-hour laboratories
- Two hours of scheduled assessment
Learning resources
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
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Nilushi Karunaratne
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Nilushi Karunaratne
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for BPS3011?
BPS3011 has no prerequisites.
When is BPS3011 offered?
In 2023, BPS3011 runs in Semester 1 at Parkville.
Does BPS3011 have an exam?
No. BPS3011 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.