MEDSCI 318 : Pharmacokinetics and Drug Toxicity
Medical and Health Sciences
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
MEDSCI 318 aims to help us understand the science behind how medicines are developed and used effectively and safely. It is primarily concerned with pharmacokinetics (PK) and drug toxicity. PK describes the relationship between the drug dose and its tissue concentration, and how the drug concentration changes with time. PK integrates the processes of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) quantitatively (with numbers) by determining parameters, which can be used to calculate the dose required to achieve a target concentration. PK knowledge helps us decide how much drug to take, by which route and when, so that clinical benefit can be maximised. However, drugs can also have harmful effects (toxicity), which are concentration-dependent. Understanding a drug’s PK characteristics can be used to predict and prevent adverse drug effects early in the drug development process, as well as to understand toxicities observed in certain patients using already approved medicines (sometimes referred to as toxicokinetics (TK), rather than PK). Understanding PK, therefore, is critical both for the development and evaluation of new drugs, as well as the selection of an appropriate dose in clinical pharmacology. The role of PK in the effective and safe use of medicines is the focus of MEDSCI 318.
To put these concepts in context we focus on two key scenarios which form the basis of our labs, lectures and workshops in the first and second half of semester accordingly:
1. Selection of a safe starting dose for a first-in-human clinical trial.
2. Adjustment of dose(s) of approved medicines to accommodate differences between individual patients.
If you are interested in developing new drugs, how drug regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) make decisions to test and approve drugs, understanding prescribing, understanding adverse drug reactions and more, join us in MEDSCI 318 Pharmacokinetics and Drug Toxicity!
Course Requirements
Course Contacts
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Summarise and communicate the role of input, distribution and elimination processes on drug concentration, and explain how physicochemical properties of drugs relate to pharmacokinetic principles. (Capability 3 and 6)
- Discuss the patient and environmental factors that influence pharmacokinetics, including the problems encountered with the use of drugs in selected diseases and populations. (Capability 3, 4 and 6)
- Summarise and communicate the role of exposure, concentration and time on toxicity and its consequent impact on biochemistry and the clinical effectiveness of drugs. (Capability 3, 4 and 6)
- Critically discuss the relevance of non-clinical species to the prediction of human drug safety. (Capability 3 and 4)
- Apply scientific reasoning and methods to experimental design for drug concentration and drug toxicity. (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
- Demonstrate competency of a selected range of skills, including observation and measurement, an appreciation of variability, precision and accuracy, data analysis and interpretation. (Capability 3 and 5)
- Discuss the ethical use of animals in pharmacology in the New Zealand context. (Capability 2, 4 and 8)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Workshops | 5% | Individual Coursework |
| Laboratories | 25% | Individual Coursework |
| Mid-semester test | 15% | Individual Test |
| End-of-semester assessment | 5% | Individual Coursework |
| Final integrated assignment | 50% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| Workshops | ||||||||||
| Laboratories | ||||||||||
| Mid-semester test | ||||||||||
| End-of-semester assessment | ||||||||||
| Final integrated assignment | ||||||||||
- Workshops
- Laboratories
- Mid-semester test and end-of-semester assessment (combined)
- Final integrated assignment
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect a total of 24 hours of lectures, 24 hours of laboratories, 12 hours of workshops and 90 hours of reading and thinking actively about the content and working on/preparing for assessments.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled laboratories to receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including workshops will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
This course was offered for the first time in 2021. The numbers of students providing feedback through SET typically has been low each year, but valuable information regarding subjects such as assessment weighting and learning resources has been acted upon.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Class representatives will be elected at the start of the semester and their contact details shared via Canvas.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
If you are unable to complete assessments, contact staff for advice using medsci318contact@auckland.ac.nz
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.