autumn 2019
MBI-2005 General pharmacology and toxicology - 10 ECTS

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1st of June

Exchange students and Fulbright students: 15th of April.


Type of course

This course is a part of the bachelor program in biomedicine. The course is also available as a singular course, and for exchange students.

Admission requirements

Applicants from Nordic countries: Generell studiekompetanse + Matematikk R1 eller (S1+S2) og ett av følgende fag:

  • Matematikk (R1+R2)
  • Fysikk (1+2)
  • Kjemi (1+2)
  • Biologi (1+2)
  • Informasjonsteknologi (1+2)
  • Geologi (1+2)
  • Teknologi og forskningslære (1+2).

International applicants: Higher Education Entrance Qualification and certified language requirements in English. It is a requirement that students have  some prior knowledge of biology and ecology, chemistry and mathematics (Participants must have taken introductory level university courses, and achieved pass grades, in these subjects).

A list of the requirements for the Higher Education Entrance Qualification in Norway can be found on the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education website - nokut.no

Recommended pre-requisites: biochemistry, cell biology, and microbiology.

Application code: 9336 (Nordic applicants).


Course overlap

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

BIO-262 General and human toxicology 10 stp

Course content

The course is an introduction to basic pharmacology and toxicology. The pharmacology part includes the following topics: drug nomenclature; general principles of passage of drugs/toxic substances across biological barriers; drug absorption and excretion; the autonomic nerve system; biotransformation of drugs; dose-response and time-response relationships, attributed to conditions of administration and to the biological system. The toxicology part describes the classification of toxic reactions; how acute poisoning can be measured and how toxicity can be treated.

Recommended prerequisites

KJE-1001 Introduction to chemistry and the chemistry of biology, MBI-1001 Cell and molecular biology

Objectives of the course

The main aim of the course is to give the students a general introduction into human pharmacology and toxicology. 

Knowledge: After the course, the students

  • can explain the importance of pharmacology and toxicology in history and place in society
  • can describe differences between trade names and generic drug names
  • can describe the different steps in preclinical and clinical drug development
  • can describe how drugs and toxic substances are absorbed, distributed and reach their site of action (pharmacokinetics/toxicokinetics)
  • can explain how drugs and toxic substances are metabolized and excreted (pharmacokinetics/toxicokinetics)
  • can describe 4 different main types of drug targets and their biological functions
  • can explain how drugs and toxic substances interact with their targets and mediate their action (pharmacodynamics/toxicodynamics)
  • can describe quantitative aspects of pharmacological/toxicological action, dose-response relationships and time-response relationships
  • can describe factors modifying the effects of drugs and toxic substances in individuals
  • can explain pharmacological/toxicological aspects of drug abuse
  • can explain how drugs and toxic substances alter physiological function
  • can classify adverse effects of drugs
  • can explain selective and non-selective toxicity
  • can explain how toxic effects are evaluated when new chemicals are introduced in medicine, industry or everyday life 
  • can explain the basic principles of toxicity treatment 

Skills: The candidates should be able to use general terms in pharmacology and toxicology, both orally and in written text. General competence: At the end of the course the student has acquired knowledge to be able to critically judge public information regarding drugs and toxic substances.


Language of instruction and examination

English

Teaching methods

The course includes lectures (36 hours), group lectures (28 hours) and a compulsory semester project. The students will be appointed a supervisor for the semester project, and the project needs to be approved prior to the final exam. It is also mandatory to give a presentation of the semester project for the other students.

Assessment

Written exam (4 hours). Alphabetical grades (A-F).

A re-sit exam/postponed exam will be arranged early in the following semester, for candidates who failed the exam, or who, for valid reasons, were unable to attend.

Course work requirements: semester thesis, and presentation of the semesterproject for the the other students on the course.


Error rendering component

  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: MBI-2005