Pharmacology: How Drugs Work (PHRM20001)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 2
Subject Coordinators
Dr Graham MacKay:
Dr Michelle Hansen
Administrative Coordinator
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Pharmacology is an exciting discipline that provides insight into the mechanisms of action and beneficial and unwanted effects of drugs in the body. This is achieved by integrating knowledge from a range of biosciences including how the body works in health and disease. This subject uses specific examples of instantly recognizable and newly developed drugs to demonstrate how pharmacologists identify drug targets, design new drugs and test their therapeutic effectiveness.
Intended learning outcomes
- To provide an understanding of the basic principles of drug action, this subject focuses on receptor sites that mediate drug action and the physiological and biochemical mechanisms associated with the response to a drug. In addition, the subject investigates the ways in which drugs are handled by the body in terms of their absorption, distribution and metabolism.The activity of hormones and drugs, including commonly used therapeutic agents for cancer, hypertension, asthma and depression are utilised to illustrate these principles. The subject also examines the development of new drugs from natural sources or new chemical syntheses and how these drugs are evaluated and regulated. Aspects of drugs of abuse and addiction and the potential strategies for dealing with this problem are explored. The principles of selective toxicity, the toxicology of environmental contaminants and aspects of venoms and toxins are also examined.
- The practical course is provided to reinforce the lecture material, and to give hands-on experience in experiments that illustrate the basic concepts of the pharmacological concentration-response relationship, competitive antagonism and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic principles.
Generic skills
By the end of this subject students should have:
- an understanding of the scientific basis of the action of the drugs
and developed skills in
- experimental design and techniques
- use of information technology resources for data analysis and interpretation.
- critical thinking and problem solving
- effective participation in small group work
Last updated: 20 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Students should have successfully completed level 1 subjects in Chemistry AND Biology (combined value of 37.5 points).
Students wishing to undertake this subject as breadth will need the approval of the subject co-ordinator.
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
This subject cannot be taken if credit has been previously obtained for 534-201 Fundamentals of Pharmacology.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 20 March 2025
Assessment
Additional details
- Continuing assessment of practical and computer-aided learning work during the semester (20%).
- Mid-semester assessment (20%).
- A 2-hour written examination in the examination period (60%).
This subject has a practical component. Completion of 80% of the practicals, and practical-related exercises, is a hurdle requirement.
Last updated: 20 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Graham Mackay Coordinator Michelle Hansen Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Lectures, 3x weekly; Tutorials / workshops (1 hr) 6 / semester; Practicals (3hr) 2 / semester (total contact hours: 48) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 24 July 2017 to 22 October 2017 Last self-enrol date 4 August 2017 Census date 31 August 2017 Last date to withdraw without fail 22 September 2017 Assessment period ends 17 November 2017 Semester 2 contact information
Subject Coordinators
Dr Graham MacKay:
Dr Michelle Hansen
Administrative Coordinator
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 20 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Course manual (provided)
Recommended texts and other resources
Although there are no prescribed textbooks for Pharmacology the following textbooks are
recommended. All are available in the Brownless library.Harvey: Pharmacology, 4th edition. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins
Rang, Dale, Ritter, Flower and Henderson, Pharmacology, 7th edition. Churchill Livingstone
Katzung, Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 12th edition. Lange
Golan, Principles of Pharmacology, (3rd edition). Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.
Neal, Medical Pharmacology at a Glance (7th edition). Blackwell. (revision purposes)
- Subject notes
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Informal specialisation Medicinal Chemistry Informal specialisation Science-credited subjects - new generation B-SCI and B-ENG. Informal specialisation Selective subjects for B-BMED Major Medicinal Chemistry - Breadth options
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 20 March 2025