| PhD COURSES | ||||
|
||||
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology
Course objectives
The course will provide knowledge about the use of cell culture systems to obtain information about mechanisms for pharmacological and toxic actions of drugs. Although different cell culture systems will be covered the main emphasis will be on CNS and actions of drugs via specific receptor systems.
General contents and topics
As a result of increasing pressure from society to reduce the use of experimental animals for toxicological testing there is growing interest and demand for the use of tissue culture models. In addition, such tissue culture models have turned out to be very useful systems for studies of the pharmacological profiles of receptors and transporters and they have been useful to study the significance of different cell types for actions of drugs particularly in the CNS. The use of these cellular model systems has also provided new insights into the mechanisms of action of drugs and neurotransmitters in relation to physiology, pharmacology and toxicology. With regard to toxic actions of drugs or endogenous compounds such as neurotransmitters the use of cultured cells has provided important knowledge about the role of cell adhesion processes, apoptosis versus necrosis, second messenger systems, activation of lipases, proteases and nucleases, and free radical formation. In this context, the use of antisense technology has been important to identify the mechanistic role of subpopulations of e.g. receptor subunits in these processes. Understanding of theses processes at the molecular level is a prerequisite for developing new therapeutic strategies for prevention of e.g. neurological degenerative diseases that are caused by exposure to environmental and/or endogenous toxins.
- Cell culture techniques
- Drug metabolism and significance of genotyping
- Receptors and transporters and drug action
- Cell lines as expression systems
- Mutagenesis as a tool
- Antisense technology
- Teratogenic actions of drugs
- Actions of insecticides
- Toxicity of heavy metals
- Apoptosis and necrosis
- Molecular mechanisms of excitotoxicity
- Pharmacology of lipid second messengers
- Role of mitochondria in cell death
General information
The course will consist of 20-30 lectures over a 5-day period. Each lecture will include ample time for extensive discussions facilitating active participation by the participants.
Duration
10 to 14 December 2001.
Course weight
0.083 STÅ (STÅ = student full-time equivalent) = 4.98 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System).
Course director
Professor Arne Schousboe and Associate Professor Mogens Nielsen at The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy.
Course fee
Total: DKK 5,700 (including lunch),
of which operating costs amount to: DKK 500.
An additional amount for study materials: DKK 400.
Closing date for application
1 October 2001.
Course capacity
20 participants. .
N.B.
The course material will consist of selected papers contributed by the lecturers.
The participants are required to have completed undergraduate or postgraduate courses in biology/pharmacology and chemistry/physical chemistry. The weight of these subjects in the previous training may vary considerably.
The course will be held in English.
