2023/24 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

BMSC2125 Molecular Pharmacology

10 creditsClass Size: 80

Module manager: Dr Dan Donnelly
Email: D.Donnelly@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2023/24

Pre-requisite qualifications

Satisfactory completion of level 1 of a BMS programme, or equivalent

Pre-requisites

BIOL1112	The Molecules of Life
BMSC1212	Introduction to Pharmacology
FOBS1135	The Basis of Life

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module explains how drugs interact with their targets at the molecular level, how they gain affinity and selectivity, and how they may alter the structure and/or properties of their targets. The techniques used to understand the molecular details of drug-target interactions will be introduced in the context of pharmacology and drug discovery.

Objectives

This module aims to provide knowledge of how drugs interact with their targets at the molecular level, how they alter the structure and/or properties of their targets, and to understand the approaches used to study drug-target interactions.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will know:
1. The principles of molecular structure, conformation and interaction;
2. The principles of recombinant DNA technology and its role in molecular pharmacology and structural biology;
3. The principles underlying the biophysical techniques used to determine and study drug targets;
4. How to quantify and analyse drug-receptor interactions;
5. How to analyse protein sequences and structures;
6. How the above approaches are integrated to explain how drugs interact with their targets at the molecular level;
7. Several detailed examples of drug-target interactions determined using the above approaches.

Syllabus

- Basic organic chemistry and molecular structure;
- Recombinant DNA technology;
- Expression and purification of drug targets;
- Use of antibodies in structural biology and molecular pharmacology;
- X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and NMR;
- Measuring drug-receptor interactions;
- Models for drug-target interactions (receptor theory);
- Basic bioinformatics and molecular modelling.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Computer Simulated Practical Techniques	1	3.00	3.00
e-Lecture	12	1.00	12.00
Problem Based Learning	10	1.00	10.00
Private study hours			75.00
Total Contact hours			25.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

Students will be expected to spend time reading around the subject of lectures using textbooks, review articles and research papers. The in-course assessment essay will require extensive reading and preparation.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Formative problems will be presented during workshops and TopHat will be used to provide formative assessment of student answers, followed by feedback from the lecturer.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
In-course Assessment	Problem based learning exercise	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		20.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Online MCQ	1 hr 00 mins	40.00
Online Time-Limited assessment	2 hr 00 mins	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		80.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 28/04/2023 14:47:37

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