Graduate Courses
Systems Pharmacology II
Coordinator: Drs. Walter Swardfager and Landon J. Edgar
Systems Pharmacology II examines a variety of drugs and drug classes with an emphasis on drugs acting on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems. A comprehensive approach to drug properties and the interactions of these drugs with the human body are discussed with a focus on mechanisms of drug action, clinical indications and adverse effects. Drugs are introduced in lecture sessions and discussed from a clinical perspective in small group sessions. Small group sessions involve in-depth examinations of the scientific literature and clinical cases.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.5 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Students should have a general background in biology, biochemistry, pharmacology and/or physiology.
- Priority will be given to students enrolled in the Applied Clinical Pharmacology field of study.
- Non-Pharmacology graduate students may request this course via an Add/Drop Course form. A complete transcript must accompany the form.
The DNA damage response in Pharmacology & Toxicology
Coordinator: Dr. Peter McPherson
Many anticancer drugs and environmental agents exert their cytotoxic effects through DNA damage. This course explores specific pharmacological and toxicological agents that damage DNA and examines how mammalian cells respond to this DNA damage.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.25 FCE
Pre-requisites
- Exclusion: PCL477H1
- Open to Pharmacology graduate students only
Theoretical and Applied Pharmacogenetics
Coordinator: Dr. Vanessa Goncalves
This course will introduce basic pharmacogenetics concepts and provide opportunity for hands-on practice with the tools used within the field. Through applying genetic concepts, students will use research protocols to: (i) clean genetic data, (ii) use statistical inference to analyze unobserved genotypes, (iii) identify variants of relevance for drug response or unwanted effects of drugs, and (iv) learn about other up-to-date tools/approach for genetic studies, such as polygenic risk scores, gene/pathway analysis, imputation (to be defined or maybe vary across individual projects). Guest scientists will provide examples of the successful use of pharmacogenetics in the field of personalized medicine (or colleagues with strong experience in specific methods can also give them a lecture about the method). Using NIH databanks, students will work on a given project as they learn methodology, with the goal of generating findings that they may publish at the end of the course.
Grade Scale: Letter Grade
Credits: 0.25 FCE
Pre-requisites
- PCL3103H
- Open to Pharmacology graduate students only