Graduate Courses

Pharmacology Graduate Level Courses

PMCOL 512
Pharmacology of the Synapse

Fall Term every other year, T R 14:00
Coordinator: Dr PA Smith
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department

Grading: Grading is based on a brief midterm exam and on 2 oral reports and 2 term papers.

This graduate course gets right down to the nuts and bolts of how drugs affect nerve cells. The emphasis is on electrophysiology and imaging techniques. Much of the course involves evaluation of contemporary scientific literature and thus provides an ideal background for graduate students in pharmacology, physiology and neuroscience.

PMCOL 514
Biophysical Aspects of Ion Channel Pharmacology

Winter term every other year, T R 09:30
Coordinator: Dr PE Light
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department
Grading: TBA

A comprehensive examination of ion channels and their pharmacology. Topics to be covered include: molecular pharmacology, fundamental principles of bioelectricity, ion channel recording, analysis, classification, moledular biology, structure, pathophysiology and hereditary disease.

PMCOL 515PMCOL 415 Lecture Schedule
Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Fall term, M W F 11:00
Coordinator: Dr R Schulz
Prerequisites: Consent of the Deparment
Grading: TBA

Critical discussion and analysis of current research papers in cardiovascular pharmacology, grouped into themes. Recent developments and use of the literature will be emphasized. In-class participation during roundtable discussion to critique assigned papers is essential. Each theme will be accompanied by the students written analyses of papers assigned but not discussed in class, in the format of a condensation/critique.

PMCOL 525B1/525B2/525B3PMCOL 525B1 Lecture SchedulePMCOL 525B2 Lecture SchedulePMCOL 525B3 Lecture Schedule
Problem Solving Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Winter term, T R 14:00 - 15:20 / 15:30 - 16:50 /14:00 - 15:20
Coordinator: Dr F Plane
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department
Grading: There is no midterm or final examination. Marks are based on the following: a midterm paper based on one of the problems covered in class; a final paper in which the student must construct and solve a therapeutic problem; participation in the group discussions.

This is a course in which graduate students use their knowledge of pharmacology to solve problems in therapeutics. These problems typically focus on identifying the kinds of drugs used to treat certain medical conditions, identifying their mechanisms of action and determining their potential to cause side-effects. Each problem is covered in two sessions: in the first, the students discuss the problem and identify any gaps in knowledge. In the second session, they share their research on the problem and arrive at a consensus on how the problem is best solved.

PMCOL 550PMCOL 550 Lecture Schedule
DIabetes and its Pharmacotherapy

Winter Term, M W F 15:00
Coordinator: Dr PE MacDonald
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department
Grading: Students will be required to write three papers over the course. Each section students will choose one topic for a 5 page report. The top 2 marks will be taken (and will contribute to 60% of the overall mark). The final exam (40%) will consist of a mixture of short essay questions.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in today's society. Understanding diabetes, and present and future treatments, is essential in battling this disease. This course will provide an overview of our current understanding of blood glucose homeostasis; insulin secretion and action; other important blood sugar-regulating hormones; and the pathology of diabetes. Current pharmacological approaches for lowering blood glucose will be discussed; including approaches aimed at replacing insulin, stimulating endogenous insulin production, and increasing insulin action. Finally, the latest experimental approaches, potential drug targets, and current research leading to new pharmacological approaches to the treatment of diabetes will be explored. At the end of the course, students should have an appreciation for the mechanisms that control glucose homeostasis in health and diabetes; the diversity of drug targets and mechanisms by which diabetes drugs promote glucose control, and current rationale and lines of research leading to potential new treatments.

PMCOL 575PMCOL 575 Lecture Schedule
Signal Transduction Systems as Pharmacological Targets

Winter Term, M W F 11:00
Coordinator: Dr E Posse de Chaves
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department
Grading: Please contact the course coordinator

Do you want to learn about the most advanced therapeutic approaches in development for cancer, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, autoimmune and other diseases while overcoming the fear of complicated signaling pathways? In this course we analyze the main signaling pathways, their roles in health and disease and the therapeutic approaches targeting them.

PMCOL 612PMCOL 612 Lecture Schedule
Drugs and the Nervous System

Fall term, M W F 14:00
Coordinator: Dr S Sipione
Prerequisites: Consent of the Department
Grading: The final grade will be based on a midterm and a final examination.

No disease can be cured without knowledge of the underlying cause and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. The goal of PMCOL412 is to learn about the molecular basis of disorders of the nervous system, current therapies in use, as well as novel potential treatments that are in clinical trials or at the preclinical experimental stage. Research frontiers in pain and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer, Parkinson and Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and HIV-related neurodegeneration, among others, will be explored. Novel therapeutic targets and the potential treatments of tomorrow will be discussed.