Pharmacology

A comprehensive graduate-level course on pharmacology—from drug-receptor theory and pharmacokinetics through systems pharmacology, therapeutic areas, drug development, and pharmacogenomics.

Course Overview

Pharmacology is the science of how drugs interact with biological systems to produce therapeutic effects. This course covers the complete pipeline from molecular drug-receptor interactions and dose-response relationships through clinical pharmacology, drug development, and the emerging field of pharmacogenomics.

What You'll Learn

• Drug-receptor theory and binding kinetics
• Pharmacokinetics: ADME and compartment models
• Pharmacodynamics and dose-response relationships
• Autonomic and cardiovascular pharmacology
• CNS pharmacology and antimicrobials
• Anti-inflammatory, endocrine, and chemotherapy agents
• Drug development and clinical trials
• Pharmacogenomics and toxicology

Prerequisites

• Biology and cell biology fundamentals
• Organic chemistry and biochemistry
• Physiology basics
• Basic mathematics and statistics
• Molecular biology (helpful)

Biochemistry

Enzymes, metabolism, and molecular machinery

Cell Physiology

Membrane transport, receptors, and cell signaling

Organic Chemistry

Drug structures, functional groups, and reactivity

Molecular Biology

Gene expression, protein synthesis, and regulation

References

• H. P. Rang et al., Rang & Dale's Pharmacology (9th ed.)
• L. L. Brunton et al., Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
• B. G. Katzung, Basic & Clinical Pharmacology
• S. M. Stahl, Stahl's Essential Psychopharmacology

Ninja Nerd Pharmacology Library

Undergraduate-level companion videos from the Ninja Nerd Pharmacology series — antimicrobial, autonomic, cardiovascular, and CNS drug classes plus pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic foundations. Use as a clinical refresher before working through the quantitative parts of the course.

Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics

Ninja Nerd · Pharmacology

Drug Absorption