Learning objectives
<br />- To provide knowledge and understanding of the mechanism of action and of pharmacokinetic properties of drugs, with particular reference to compounds of radiodiagnostic and radiotherapeutic interest.<br />- To provide knowledge and understanding of the molecular targets of drugs and of the processes involved in cell labeling by radionuclides.<br />- To To provide a general description of the production and storing of radionuclides and their use in radiodiagnostics
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
<br />General principles: Definition and characteristics of drugs: Therapeutic and diagnostic use of drugs. Radiolabeled compounds.<br />Pharmacokinetics. The movements of drugs into the organism: cellular basis of pharmacokinetics. Main processes that control the plasmatic levels of drugs: absorbtion, distribution, biotransformation and excretion. Bioavailability and drug accumulation in tissues. Routes of drug administration. <br />Mechanism of drug action. Chemicophysical interactions of drugs with living cells: Regulatory proteins and their involvement in drug action. Receptors: structure and functions. Type of receptors and post-receptor events. Interaction of drugs with enzymes, carriers and DNA.<br />Radiolabeled compounds of pharmacological interest. Synthesis, production and stability of radiolabeled drugs: technetium, iodinated moyeties and other radionuclides. Interaction of radionuclides with the living cells: tissue labeling. Application of radionuclides in the clinical practice: use in radioimaging and radiotherapy.<br />.
Full programme
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Bibliography
<br />'Farmacologia Generale e Molecolare', 3rd Ed., F. Clementi, G. Fumagalli, UTET, Torino, (2004).
Teaching methods
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Other information
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