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PA20242: Drug metabolism, natural products and analysis

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2014/5
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
Further information on credits Credits: 12
Further information on unit levels Level: Intermediate (FHEQ level 5)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Academic Year
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Summary: CW 30%, EX 60%, PR 10%
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Detail:
  • Coursework (CW 30%)
  • Examination (EX 60%)
  • Practical Report (PR 10%)
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites:
Further information on descriptions Description: Aims:
To develop the student's understanding of drug metabolism at a molecular level, to develop the student’s understanding of biosynthetic sources of pharmaceutical materials and introduce a biosynthetic approach to natural products, with all aspects underpinned by analysis; to undertake an analytical mini-project.

Learning Outcomes:
After completion of this unit the student should be able to: demonstrate an outline understanding of drug metabolism and the enzymes causing these biotransformations, their structure-activity relationships (SAR) and their significance; demonstrate an awareness of natural sources of pharmaceutical materials with an understanding (at the level of chemical structures and mechanisms) of the major biosynthetic pathways; demonstrate an understanding of the value of spectroscopic and spectrometric data in analysis; follow biosynthetic pathways mechanistically, understanding the limits of their knowledge; carry out and write-up an analytical mini-project.

Skills:
Practical skills (T/F)
Data handling and analysis (T/F/A)
Problem solving (T/F/A).

Content:
General introduction to drug metabolism. Definitions of the two phases of drug metabolism. The importance of enzymes as catalysts and structure-activity relationships (SAR) across drug metabolising enzymes. Examples of hydrolysis and oxidation, para-hydroxylation, epoxide Hydrolase. Introduction to analysis in the BP monographs and analysis of relevance to clinical trials across Phases I to IV. Radioactivity, and associated calculations in metabolism and radioactivity. Plant and animal sources of pharmaceutical materials. Herbal medicines. Molecular aspects of biosynthetic pathways. Problem-solving workshops in analysis. Calculations of natural product concentrations and serial dilutions. Sample preparation. Mini-project.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

PA20242 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following programmes:

Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology
Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2014/15 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2015/16 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2014/15.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.