Respiratory Pharmacology (U01055)

? Credit Points : 10 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : BMS-4-PHresp

In this course you will study:
- The pharmacology and physiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma
- Inflammatory mechanisms in respiratory disease

The course will include formal lectures providing background material. The bulk of the course, however, will consist of group-based, self-directed study of topics from the two main areas of respiratory science covered by the course.

Weeks 1-5, and 7: Each morning there will be a lecture covering physiology and pharmacology of chronic obstructive lung disease and asthma including environmental factors, methods of assessing of airways obstruction, factors determining the effectiveness of inhalation therapy, and the processes of inflammation including mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment into the lung, inflammatory cell activation, and resolution.

For the remainder of each day students will work in groups on a designated topic culminating in presentation of their findings to the entire class et the end of the day.

Weeks 8-11: During this period there will be a more substantial library-based project. Each group of students will be assigned a drug treatment such as a long acting 2 agonist + steroid combination, an anti-tryptase, or a leukotriene antagonist. Based on the knowledge obtained in weeks 1-7, and on further reading of the literature, each group will devise a programme for the development of a new treatment in their designated drug category starting from laboratory-based development of the compound and continuing through to clinical trials of the drug regimen. This will involve considering how they might identify the mediator/receptor site to be targeted, confirm that the drug was acting at their chosen target, investigate toxicity, deliver the drug to the lungs of patients, and conduct clinical trials. In Week 11 each group will formally present their findings (PowerPoint presentation plus handouts) to the remainder of the class for discussion.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : Permission of the Curriculum Approval Officer. Pharmacology 3 or Physiology 3. Nature of Receptors Core Course or Physiology Core Course is recommended.