Pharmacology and Toxicology (PMY)

The one credit UB Seminar is focused on a big idea or challenging issue to engage students with questions of significance in a field of study and, ultimately, to connect their studies with issues of consequence in the wider world. Essential to the UB Curriculum, the Seminar helps transition to UB through an early connection to UB faculty and the undergraduate experience at a comprehensive, research university. This course is equivalent to any 198 offered in any subject. This course is a controlled enrollment (impacted) course. Students who have previously attempted the course and received a grade of F or R may not be able to repeat the course during the fall or spring semester.

The three credit UB Seminar is focused on a big idea or challenging issue to engage students with questions of significance in a field of study and, ultimately, to connect their studies with issues of consequence in the wider world. Essential to the UB Curriculum, the Seminar helps students with common learning outcomes focused on fundamental expectations for critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and oral communication, and learning at a university, all within topic focused subject matter. The Seminars provide students with an early connection to UB faculty and the undergraduate experience at a comprehensive, research university. This course is equivalent to any 199 offered in any subject. This course is a controlled enrollment (impacted) course. Students who have previously attempted the course and received a grade of F or R may not be able to repeat the course during the fall or spring semester.

PMY 302 is an introductory survey course of the major drug groups commonly used in therapeutics. For each drug group, the course focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of drug action and how this knowledge is utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Instruction is largely directed toward students in biomedical and life sciences programs. Students are expected to have significant exposure to chemistry, biology and biochemistry and must have completed a human physiology course at least equivalent to PGY 300. As the course in online, there are certain computer software and hardware requirements. This course will provide an understanding of the therapeutic use and adverse effects of drugs and will be helpful for those aspiring to a career in a health care profession

A unique laboratory course designed to instruct students in basic laboratory skills and provide instruction on the University's policies regarding Laboratory Safety, Animal Use, and Radiation Safety. This class will also give the students the opportunity to meet with graduate students and faculty members providing insight into their research experiences and learning about the opportunities that are available to them.

PMY 311 will provide students with the knowledge and ability to apply basic pharmacological principles involving pharmacokinetics (i.e., effects of the body on drugs) and pharmacodynamics (i.e., effects of drugs on the body). Students also will develop an understanding of how the chemical structure of a drug and its physiochemical properties determine its molecular mechanism of action and the body¿s response and handling of the drug. Information in this course is essential both for the use of drugs by healthcare professional and for drug development and design by the pharmaceutic and biotech industry.

Explores principles of drug action on biological systems, action mechanism of each agent class on specific organ systems, a review and extension of pertinent physiologic concepts of that system, chemical structure-drug activity relationships, sites of action, metabolic patterns of principal drugs, and therapeutic and toxicologic aspects. Dual-listed with PMY 511.

This course will follow PMY 405 and continue to employ individual case studies to demonstrate how essential pharmacological concepts are applied in clinical and research relevant contexts. Students will learn how to effectively utilize different literature databases and web-based sources of drug information to expand their cumulative knowledge in pharmacology & toxicology. Students will integrate knowledge of physiology and pharmacology and apply that understanding to selected topics in pharmacology and ultimately to a final term project.

This advanced level undergraduate course will provide an overview of special topics relating to the fields of pharmacology and neuroscience. This course will allow instructors to introduce a variety of contemporary and cutting edge ideas to students.

PMY students only Applies principles of pharmacology and toxicology in a lab course, which includes in vivo and in vitro techniques, including: assessing the duration of drug action in a rat model, preparing subcellular fractions of liver, quantifying total protein, cytochrome P450 (CYP) protein content and activity, CYP2B1/2 protein and mRNA, biochemical and morphological assessment of liver injury, training in the proper care and use of lab animals and radiation safety. The course will provide the students with basic laboratory techniques commonly utilized in research and experience with writing two detailed lab reports which follow the format used in scientific journals.

PMY 455 introduces students to the basic principles and practices of toxicology. Toxicology is defined as the study of adverse effects of natural compounds or man-made chemicals on living organisms. Specific areas covered will include: the history of toxicology, general principles, chemical carcinogenesis, specific organ toxicology and ways to determine the risk to humans associated with toxic compounds (i.e., human risk assessment). This course uses innovative approaches to teaching and utilizing real life examples and historical information of mass poisonings from natural or environmental disasters. This course provides the foundation for understanding and assessing the risks and effects of exposure to chemicals in our environment.

Direct involvement in original research involving a literature search and laboratory work.

Direct involvement in original research involving a literature search and laboratory work.

Involves a literature search and library work on a current topic in pharmacology or toxicology. Includes interdisciplinary projects, such as analyses of trends in drug use, toxicological projects, and applied clinical aspects.