ECTS credits ECTS credits: 3
ECTS Hours Rules/Memories Student's work ECTS: 51 Hours of tutorials: 3 Expository Class: 9 Interactive Classroom: 12 Total: 75
Use languages Spanish, Galician
Type: Ordinary subject Master’s Degree RD 1393/2007 - 822/2021
Departments: Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology
Areas: Pharmacology
Center Faculty of Pharmacy
Call: Second Semester
Teaching: With teaching
Enrolment: Enrollable | 1st year (Yes)
1º.- To approach students to a general overview of the experimentation that is being fulfilled nowadays in the field of pharmacology, as well as the application that this activity has both in the field of biomedical sciences and in the field of pharmaceutical industry.
2º.- To achieve that students value adequately the role that experimental pharmacology has in the investigation and development of new drugs and its close relationship with other facets as design of new substances with biological activity, chemical synthesis and pharmaceutical technology.
3º.- To get that the students are able to arrange and to tackle correctly the experimental study of drugs, adapting or developing the most adequate methodology.
4º.- To contribute that students develop their future activity in the field of experimental pharmacology carrying out strictly the legal rules and the ethic approaches that must be present in any facet of biological experimentation
1.-The biological reagent
2.-Experiments with whole animals
3.-Experiments with isolated tissues
4.-Experiments with cells
5.-Experiments with subcellular fractions and with biological molecules
6.- Artificial Intelligence and in silico assays in pharmacological research
Lectures
1.- The biological reagent: Requirements for use and handling
1.1- European, state and autonomous legislation related to the production / breeding and handling of animals for experimentation and teaching purposes.
1.2.- Animals / Estabularies: requirements, inspection and emergency plan
1.3.- Personnel: requirements to be able to work with experimental animals (homologation / accreditation)
1.4.- USC regulations. Bioethics Committee of the USC. CEBEGA
1.5.- Pharmacological studies with biological reagents: characteristics, variability, complexity, degree of biological organization, .... types of study (in vivo, in vitro, ex vivo).
2.- Experiments with the whole animal:
2.1.- Experiments in whole animal not anesthetized (characteristics, selection of animals, ...) and anesthetized (types of anesthesia and anesthetics, surgical procedures, ...)
3.- Studies with isolated tissues
3.1.- Pharmacological studies with organ bath: important characteristics and conditions.
3.2.- Liquid fabrics:
- Blood and fractionation of components. Studies with the different fractions: plasma, serum and different cell types.
- Blood fractionation and purification protocols
4.- Experiments with cells
4.1.- Cell cultures:
- The cell culture room, sterility conditions and culture of animal and human cells
- Primary culture: isolation and purification of cells, experimental conditions
- Advanced cell models: 3D cultures, etc.
4.2.- Complex culture systems: 3D cultures, organ-on-a-chip...
4.3.- Characteristics and culture of immortalized cells. Cell transfection.
4.4.- Measurement of the membrane potential and the flow of ions through channels. Measurement techniques. Single cell measurement in isolated cells.
4.4.- Microscopy tests: Vision and practical interpretation of images. Machine learning in microscopy.
5.- Experiments with subcellular fractions and biological molecules
5.1.- Isolation of the cell membrane of immortalized cells. Binding studies Preparation of test protocols.
5.2.- Extraction of proteins and RNA from immortalized cells. Physical and physicochemical methods (chromatographic).
6.- Artificial Intelligence and in silico assays in pharmacological research
6.1.- Artificial Intelligence: definition and limitations in pharmacological research.
6.2.- Databases and resources in drug discovery.
6.3.- Predictive in silico models in Pharmacology.
Experimental program
Practice 1: Communication of Procedures
Practice 2: In vivo experiment with non-anesthetized animals (virtual/real). Description of the methods and evaluation of the modification of motor activity, memory, etc.
Practice 3: Experiment in vivo with anesthetized animal: cardiovascular pharmacology simulation (description of the surgical technique and simulation of different drugs).
Practice 4: Culture of human endothelial cells
Practice 5: Cell experiments: functional experiments (measures of viability and growth, angiogenesis, cell migration, cell adhesion ...).
Practice 6: Immortalized cells. Measurement of membrane potential and ion fluxes through channels. Results analysis.
Practice 7: RT-qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR using reverse transcriptase).
The use of specialized bibliography constitutes a fundamental aspect in the development of the subject, so that students will be continuously handling the most important periodical publications of the area of Pharmacology and Medical Chemistry and the handbooks of scientific methodology. A list of some of the most habitually used journals and monographs are included below:
Journals:
Archiv der Pharmazie; Arzneimittel-Forschung; Biochemical Pharmacology; Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry; Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters; British Journal of Pharmacology; European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry; European Journal of Pharmacology; Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry; Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; Molecular Pharmacology; Naunyn-Schmiedeberg´s Archives of Pharmacology, PlosOne, Nature Protocols, Nature Genomics, Cell
Monographs:
- High throughput screening: methods and protocols. Ed. W.P. Janzen. Humana Press. 2002.
- Modern methods of drug discovery. Ed. A. Hillisch, R. Hilgenfeld. Birkhäuser. 2003.
- Receptor signal transduction protocols. Ed. G.B. Willars, R.A.J. Challis. Humana Press. 2004.
- Principles and techniques of biochemistry and molecular biology. Ed. K. Wilson, J. Walker. Cambridge University Press. 2005.
- High-throughput screening in drug discovery. Ed. J. Hüser. Wiley-VCH. 2006.
- Handbook of assay development in drug discovery. Ed. L.K. Minor. CRC Taylor & Francis. 2006
- Drug discovery and evaluation. Pharmacological assays. Ed. H.G. Vogel. Springer. 2008.
- Guidance on Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP). Cell Culture Techniques p. 1-25 vol. 56. A. Bal-Price & S. Coecke. Springer. 2011
- Assay Guidance Manual [Internet]. Ed. G.S. Sittampalam, N. P. Coussens, K. Brimacombe, et al. Eli Lilly & Company and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. 2012. Disponible desde: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53196
- Good Cell Culture Practice for stem cells and stem-cell-derived models.
ALTEX. 2017;34(1):95-132. Pamies D et al.
- To handle adequately the bibliographic material to get the necessary information about the scientific methodology required in the experimental pharmacological studies: CB1, CB5, CG1, CG3, CE1.
- To select correctly the most adequately methodology for the study of a given pharmacological activity: CB2, CG2, CG7, CE2.
- Make a diagram of an experimental design: CB2, CG2, CE4, CE5.
- To elaborate in detail an experimental protocol/procedure: CB2, CB4, CG2, CG4, CG9, CE4, CE5.
- Analyze the experimental results: CB3, CG1, CG5, CE10.
- To write a report about a fulfilled experimental study: CB4, CG5, CG8, CG9, CE13, CE14.
The teaching activity will be carried out in person and using the official platforms of the USC: USC-Virtual (Moodle) and the Microsoft 365 suite programs (MS Teams, Forms, etc.). Students will have an electronic version of the contents of the subject.
Theoretical-practical teaching with expository classes, seminars, practices and tutorials. Throughout the development of the course, students must prepare teamwork and also individually.
The development and follow-up of the lectures, seminars, practices and the realization of works will allow to follow continuously the effort made by the students as well as the achieved performance.
The final grade will be the sum of the theoretical / practical final exam and the continuous assessment.
a) Continuous evaluation:
- Participation / involvement in the proposed teaching activities (20%). Evaluated competences: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5,
- CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4, CG5, CG7, CG8, CG9, CE1, CE2, CE4, CE5, CE10, CE113, CE14.
- Individual work (20%). The proposed and completed works must be uploaded to the corresponding section of the USC-Virtual within the stipulated period. Evaluated competences: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4, CG5, CG7, CG8, CG9, CE1, CE2, CE4, CE5, CE10, CE113, CE14.
- Teamwork (20%). The proposed and completed works must be uploaded to the corresponding section of the USC-Virtual within the stipulated period. Evaluated competences: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG1, CG2, CG3, CG4, CG5, CG7, CG8, CG9, CE1, CE2, CE4, CE5, CE10, CE113, CE14.
b) Final exam. The exam is complementary to the continuous assessment and is mandatory for all students.
- Practical exam (20%). It will consist of the elaboration / realization of the design of an experimental protocol / procedure. Evaluated competences: CB1, CB5, CB2, CB4, CG2, CG4, CG7, CG9, CE2, CE4, CE5.
- Theoretical exam (20%). There will be a theoretical exam that will contain questions of a descriptive and / or multiple choice type.
Evaluated competences: CB3, CB4, CG1, CG5, CG8, CG9, CE10, CE13, CE14.
Calculation of the final grade: The overall final grade for the course will be obtained from the sum of the marks obtained in the continuous assessment and the final exam (practical / theoretical).
In the case of fraudulent performance of any evaluable activity, the provisions of the Regulations for the evaluation and academic performance of students and the review of USC grades will apply.
The exams of the subject will be carried out in person or electronically, depending on the health situation in which we find ourselves and in accordance with what the academic authorities establish.
a) Work in the classroom/ laboratory (hours)
- Lecture classes 9 h
- Practical classes 6 h
- Seminars 6 h
- Exams and review 4 h
Total hours of work in the classroom/ laboratory: 25 h
b) Student's personal work (hours)
- Self-study 25 h
- Performing exercises or other work 25 h
Total hours of personal work of the student: 50 hours
Total hours of work
25 h + 50 h = 75 h = 3 ECTS
The course has been structured following a sequence that will facilitate the progressive acquisition of theoretical knowledge and skills so that active participation is necessary throughout its development.
The student will have contact with the teaching staff at all times, either in person or through the communication tools of the USC-Virtual (Moodle) and/or the Microsoft suite 365 (MS Teams, etc.).
Optional subject of 3 ECTS. The course will be taught in Spanish / Galician and will also use bibliographic resources and computer programs in English and French.
Jose Angel Fontenla Gil
Coordinador/a- Department
- Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology
- Area
- Pharmacology
- Phone
- 881814898
- joseangel.fontenla [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: University Lecturer
Ezequiel Alvarez Castro
- Department
- Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology
- Area
- Pharmacology
- ezequiel.alvarez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: LOU (Organic Law for Universities) PhD Assistant Professor
Anton Leandro Martinez Rodriguez
- Department
- Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology
- Area
- Pharmacology
- Phone
- 881815484
- antonleandro.martinez [at] usc.es
- Category
- Professor: LOU (Organic Law for Universities) PhD Assistant Professor
| Tuesday | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 16:30-18:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| 18:30-19:30 | Grupo 1/CLIS_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| Wednesday | |||
| 16:30-18:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| 18:30-19:30 | Grupo 1/CLIS_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| Thursday | |||
| 16:30-18:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| 18:30-19:30 | Grupo 1/CLIS_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| Friday | |||
| 16:30-18:30 | Grupo /CLE_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |
| 18:30-19:30 | Grupo 1/CLIS_01 | Spanish | COMPUTER ROOM 2 (laboratories) |