Design: Pharmacokinetics/Dynamics
3.0
creditsAverage Course Rating
This is a one semester overview of year long course; students that want a comprehensive understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics should take the 2 courses EN.540.400 and EN.540.421. This course covers the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Computer models of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics behavior will be developed and then used to design better drug delivery regimens and to analyze drug chemistry modifications. The course (and software to be developed) will cover the spectrum of factors affecting pharmaceutical effects on physiology 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 tissues). 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. Prerequisites 540.436 has a prerequisite of 540.301 Kinetic Processes
Spring 2014
Professor: Marc Donohue
The best aspects of this course were the broad overview of topics from the production to uses of micro technology, the knowledgeable instructor, and the high expectation of student work. The worst aspect of the course was the uneven distribution of work over the semester and the high writing requirement. Some suggestions for improving the course included making the class more interactive, a broader choice of topics for papers, and fewer lectures. Prospective students should know this class is lecture based and there are three papers and a presentation. The class is recommended.