Ateneo - UPO

The course provides the students with the main information about ADMET of dermatological drugs. The course also provides the students with the principles for the discovery and optimization of a bioactive compound, from hit to lead compounds to drug candidates. The design of prodrugs and soft drugs for topical use is covered. Case studies on dermatological drugs are presented from both a pharmacological and medicinal chemistry perspectives.

Goodman & Gilman's pharmacological basis of therapeutic

1. At the end of the course the student will know and understand the basic concepts of pharmacology, in particular the route followed by the drug in the organism, from its administration to its excretion and how it interacts with its molecular target, focusing mainly on oral and topical administration. 2. The student will acquire the ability to analyze texts and papers in the pharmacology literature. 3. The student will learn to communicate about her/his understanding, to describe, even in an original way, a topic described during lessons, to adequately answer to questions, critiques and suggestions. 4. The student will have the learning skills to handle in a dynamic way her/his knowledge in general pharmacology with a good degree of autonomy.

Basic knowledge of biology, biochemistry and physiology.

Lectures and case studies.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Written test
It covers the material delivered in lectures. Multiple choice, true/false and completion type questions are the most frequent types of questions.
Oral presentation.
Students will be given a dermatological FDA-approved small molecule. Tthey will need to prepare a written assay that should cover the main medchem aspects (metabolism, synthesis, intermolecular intercations, discovery and optimization, stereochemistry, LogP, LogD, etc.) and pharmacology aspects (mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic need, competitors, preclinical and clinical drug discovery and place in therapy). The Case Study will be orally presented by the students with the support of slides.

Absorption. Mechanisms of absorption with a focus on skin.
Phase I and phase II metabolism with a focus on skin and liver metabolism.
Distribution and elimination of drugs.
Principles of pharmacodynamic.
Preclinical models of dermatological pathologies.
Case studies of dermatological drugs.

At the end of the course, the student will know the principles of general pharmacology. The student will also know the role of pharmacology in drug discovery and in drug design and the strategies that can be used in order to improve the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of a dermatological drug.