400 Level

400 Level Pharmacology Course Details

PMCOL 401/402
Pharmacology Tutorial

*These courses are identical other than that PMCOL 401 is offered in the Fall and 402 the Winter term
Coordinator: Dr E Posse de Chaves
Prerequisites: PMCOL 343 and 344. Available only to students in the Pharmacology Specialization program or students who are granted consent by the Department of Pharmacology.
Grading: The final grade is based upon the following: laboratory performance (20%), laboratory notebook (20%), an abstract (15%) and a poster presentation (45%) on the research findings of the student.

Independent research course. "Hands-on" experience is seen as a valuable asset for students graduating from BSc programs. With this in mind, this course provides an opportunity to work with a Faculty member on a research project during the Fall (PMCOL 401) and/or Winter (PMCOL 402) semester. The student and supervisor will mutually agree upon the details of the project. This is an excellent opportunity to learn current laboratory techniques, data analysis, laboratory notebook maintenance and presentation skills. Literature-based projects may also be available in which the student will be required to identify a research question and meet with the supervisor at regular intervals for discussion and guidance on preparation of a term paper and poster presentation.

Please note that projects must be supervised by primary members of the Department of Pharmacology or adjunct faculty. Students wishing to pursue research in the lab of an unaffiliated faculty are not eligible for this course.

PMCOL 403
Advanced Topics in Pharmacology

PMCOL 404

Core Principles in Pharmacology (A Spotlight on Clinical Pharmacology)

Winter Term, M W F 11:00 (starting W24)
Coordinator: Dr. Yazid N Al Hamarneh

Grading: Course grade are based on the final cumulative percentage score assigned to students. The final percentage score is determined by adding the weighted assessment components of the course as described in the course syllabus. Please notethat an aggregate mark of 50% or more is required to pass the course (grade D). No “rounding up” of marks below 50% will occur.

The course will provide an overview of the pharmacotherapy of selected clinical conditions of interest, and the factors (eg. age, weight, pregnancy, comorbidities) that influence the clinical use of drugs. Assessment of clinical trials and clinical case reports will also be discussed. This course is restricted to students in the Pharmacology Program.

PMCOL 406
Molecular Mechanisms of Drug Action

PMCOL 408
Clinical Pharmacology

PMCOL 410
Pharmacogenomics

PMCOL 412
Drugs and the Nervous System

Fall term only, M W F 14:00
Coordinator: Dr S Sipione
Prerequisites: PMCOL 343 and 344 or 371 or ZOOL 342 or consent of instructor
Grading: The final grade will be based on a midterm and a final examination

The goal of PMCOL 412 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 and multiple sclerosis among others, will be explored. Novel therapeutic targets and the potential treatments of tomorrow will be discussed.

PMCOL 415
Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Fall term, M W F 11:00
Coordinator: Dr R Schulz
Prerequisites: PMCOL 343 and 344
In case of limited space, preference will be given to students in the Pharmacology program.
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 student's written analyses of papers assigned but not discussed in class, in the format of a condensation/critique.

PMCOL 425B1/425B2/425B3
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: PMCOL 343 and 344 and consent of instructor
This course is restricted to students in the Pharmacology Program.
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.

Students will be presented with problem cases involving patients with conditions, possibly needing drug therapy. They will identify the issues needing resolution, work collectively to find information to resolve them, and present these and their application to each patient to the group. The group will work to resolve outstanding issues after the presentations. Intended for senior undergraduate students.

PMCOL 450
Diabetes and its Pharmacotherapy

Winter Term, M W F 15:00
Coordinator: Dr PE MacDonald
Prerequisites: PMCOL 343 and PMCOL 344 or consent of instructor

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.

This course will provide an overview of the current understanding of blood glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion and action, the actions of other important blood sugar-regulating hormones and the pathology of diabetes. Current pharmacological approaches for lowering blood glucose will be discussed, as will the latest experimental approaches in identifying potential drug targets and new treatments for diabetes. 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 475
Signal Transduction Systems as Pharmacological Targets

Winter Term, M W F 11:00
Coordinator: Dr E Posse de Chaves
Prerequisites: PMCOL 343 and 344
Grading: Please contact the course coordinator.

Regulation of various aspects of cell regulation, including proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, survival, motility, and gene transcription, occur mainly via protein phosphorylation in a complex array of well-organized signal transduction pathways. This course will cover topics related to the pharmacological investigation of cellular transduction systems, the discovery of small molecules that alter cell signaling, and how pharmacological manipulation of these signaling pathways may be useful in the drug treatment of a diverse range of diseases, including metastatic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, immune, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.