Class Schedules – Fall 2021
Please email ncornett@email.unc.edu to register for all PHCO courses.
PHCO 701 – Introduction to Molecular Pharmacology*
(3 cr. hr)
M/W/F @ 9:00 – 9:50 am (Full semester course)
Location: 4007 GMB
Course Director: Dr. Terry Kenakin
Course Outline
Course Description: This is a graduate-level first year course outlining the basics of molecular pharmacology, including molecular biology, bioinformatics, drug/receptor interactions, receptor and ion channels, regulation of second messengers, drug metabolism and system pharmacology. Permission of the instructor required for registration. Three credit hours a week.
Course objectives (learning outcomes): The objectives of this course are to provide graduate students in biomedical research programs familiarity with the molecular principles of pharmacology involved in the design and action of drugs. Students will increase critical thinking skills in the context of the specific topics listed in the syllabus, which includes molecular biology underlying drug development, key drugable pathways and the interactions between drugs and human body. By the end of this course students should be familiar with molecular principles of drug development including knowledge of gene expression pathways related to drugs, key drugable targets and the interaction between drugs and their receptors. Students should have working knowledge sufficient to apply those principles to new research topics and to propose appropriate strategies to solve relevant research questions.
PHCO 732 – Fellowship/Grant Writing*
(2 cr. hr)
Tuesday @ 1:00 – 3:00 pm (Full semester course)
Location: 4007 GMB
Course Director: Dr. Mike Emanuele
Course Description: One of the most important skills you will develop in graduate school, regardless of your future career, is the ability to communicate. The skills needed to communicate effectively cut across different mediums, and include subject matter knowledge, describing complex topics clearly, crafting arguments, and knowing your audience. The primary goal of this class is to help you develop those skills. Along the way, we will also further develop critical thinking as it relates to addressing a scientific question.
PHCO 737 – Target-based Anticancer Drug Discovery and Development**
(2 cr. hr)
**Must have permission of Dr. Cox to register
**Starts September 10
Friday @ 10:00 – 11:50 am
Location: TBD
Course Director: Dr. Adrienne Cox
Course Description: The number of signal transduction-targeted anticancer drugs entering the clinic has increased dramatically in recent years, with many more in the pipeline. This course covers the process and complexity of targeted drug development for cancer treatment. It includes lectures, student-led discussions of relevant papers selected by faculty, and a team-based semester-long project in which students will select a real target and then develop mock data in support of a mock drug directed against that target. Teams will make presentations to convince “venture capitalists” (i.e., lead instructors) that they have identified viable candidates for support as targeted anti-cancer drugs of the future. Mock investments, real grades and prizes will be awarded. Several teams from previous classes developed mock drugs that had high degrees of similarity to eventual real drugs.
Topics include:
- Conventional cancer chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Target identification and validation
- Identification of hits – high-throughput screening, rational drug design, lead identification
- Lead compound evaluation – in vitro to cell-based assays
- Lead compound evaluation – preclinical animal studies
- Clinical trials – design and implementation
- Roles of academia, industry, and government
- State of the art – what is in the pipeline?
*Email ncornett@email.unc.edu to register for all PHCO courses. Meeting times may change to accommodate schedules.