Ateneo - UPO

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental principles of pharmacology, including:
- the process of drug discovery, development, and regulatory approval;
- the principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics;
- the evaluation of the benefit–risk profile of medicinal products;
- variability in drug response.

The course will then focus on the scientific rationale underlying the development of targeted therapies.
Finally, examples of biotechnological medicinal products that have revolutionized modern pharmacotherapy will be presented.

Goodman and Gilman's Pharmaceutical Basis of the Therapeutics - latest edition
Rang & Dale: Pharmacology – latest edition.

The course is intended to provide knowledge and competences relating to pharmacology, with a focus on drugs developed with biotech methodologies.

Basic knowledge of biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and pathology which is necessary to understand the rationale behind the development of drugs, their specific mechanisms of action as well as their benefit-risk profiles.

Lectures will be delivered using PowerPoint presentations. Course materials will be made available on the course's DIR webpage.

Student meetings with the lecturer of the Course are subject to prior appointment agreed via e-mail.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-disabilitiesStudents 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 examinationmodalities, concerning academic aspects.

The Molecular Therapy examination consists of a written test comprising 40 multiple-choice questions, of which 20 cover the Pharmacology module and 20 the Biotechnological Applications module. Students will have 60 minutes to complete the examination.

Student achievement will be assessed using the Italian grading scale, ranging from 18 (minimum passing grade) to 30 cum laude (highest distinction). More specifically, a grade between 18 and 23 indicates that the student has achieved a sufficient, although limited, level of knowledge. A grade between 24 and 26 reflects satisfactory knowledge of the course content. Grades between 27 and 28 indicate that the student has acquired a good level of knowledge and a satisfactory ability to place the acquired information within the broader scientific context. Grades between 29 and 30 demonstrate an excellent level of knowledge and a good ability to contextualize the acquired information within the scientific framework. Finally, students awarded 30 cum laude will have demonstrated outstanding knowledge of the subject.

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental principles of pharmacology, including: - the process of drug discovery, development, and regulatory approval of new medicinal products; - clinical trials and the generation of evidence on the benefits and risks of medicinal products; - the general principles of drug action (pharmacodynamics); - pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion); - pharmacogenetic biomarkers; - the general principles of pharmacovigilance and ecopharmacovigilance; - the pharmacological profile of biotechnological medicinal products that have revolutionized the treatment of a wide range of diseases, including oncological, neurological, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders.

Knowledge: At the end of the course, students will have acquired the fundamental principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well as the mechanisms underlying interindividual variability in drug response. Students will also have acquired knowledge of the main biotechnological medicinal products currently available on the market.

Skills: At the end of the course, students will have developed the skills necessary to interpret and evaluate the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of medicinal products in development or already available on the market, integrating this information into the understanding of their therapeutic use and benefit–risk profile.