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Johns Hopkins University | EN.540.400

Project in Design: Pharmacokinetics

3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

(4.29)

This is a design course in which the design projects will be to develop pharmacokinetic models of the human body that can be used to understand the temporal distribution, spatial distribution and bioavailability of pharmaceutical drugs. The course (and software to be developed) will cover the spectrum of factors affecting pharmaceutical bioavailability including drug formulation, mode of dosing and dosing rate, metabolism and metabolic cascades, storage in fatty tissues, and diffusional limitations (such as in crossing the blood-brain barrier or diffusional differences between normal and cancerous cells). The goal is to develop process models of the human body that will predict pharmaceutical bioavailability as a function of time and organ (or cell) type that will work for a wide variety of pharmaceuticals including small molecules, biologics, and chemotherapy agents. This course is organized to replicate group project work as it is practiced in industry. The class is divided into groups (typically 3 or 4 students) and each group will meet separately each week with the instructor. Hence, there is no regularly scheduled class times; student groups sign up for weekly meeting times using Starfish in Blackboard. These meetings typically will be 90 minutes long. The expectations and assignments for this course are quite different from most other courses. There are no weekly lectures by the instructor. Rather, each week each group will make a PowerPoint presentation on the week's topic or their progress on their project.

Fall 2013

(4.33)

Fall 2014

(4.26)

Fall 2013

Professor: Marc Donohue

(4.33)

The professor was one of the best aspects of this course. Students thought that she taught the materials thoroughly, and that many of the materials discussed in class were put into real-world context, which made the information easy to grasp. Students did believe that the lab was a bit incongruous as it did not apply to what they learned in the lecture. They also thought that the lectures relied too heavily on the textbook, so they recommended using a different, more up to date book instead. They also thought that the lab should be updated and moved to earlier in the semester. Prospective students should read the materials before class and attend every lecture to hear al the details that may end up on the exams. The

Fall 2014

Professor: Marc Donohue

(4.26)

For this course, students appreciated the opportunity to work independently on a project and gain experience relevant to future professional work. Students believed the biggest weakness of the course was the lack of feedback on performance they received after presentations and on assignments. They thought that the course could benefit from more detailed guidance on assignments from the instructor. People considering taking this class should know that there was a substantial workload in the course, students said. Students also thought it was useful to know that finding group project partners that you could work with effectively was especially important for this class.