Program Overview

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Fundamentals of Pharmacology

The Fundamentals of Pharmacology module is intended to provide students with the basic knowledge of the drug and, in particular, of the interactions that occur between chemicals and the living organism and that determine the therapeutic effects but also toxicological events.

Overview

The module aims to provide students with basic knowledge to understand how drugs act in the body, both at the molecular level (i.e., mechanisms of action) and at the clinical level (i.e., observable drug effects in patients).

Aims and Content

• The general principles of pharmacokinetics, i.e., how administered drugs are absorbed, distributed in organs and tissues, metabolized, and eliminated from the body.
• The general principles of pharmacodynamics, i.e., how drugs act and interact with their biological targets to generate therapeutic effects, as well as side and toxic effects.
• Factors influencing variability in response to drugs and the main mechanisms underlying drug-drug interactions.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:

• Understand the pharmacokinetic parameters, routes of administration and elimination of drugs, metabolic reactions, and factors influencing drug distribution in the body.
• Be able to describe the mechanisms of action of drugs, their biological targets, and the effects they may have on the body.
• Be able to apply the general concepts of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics to molecules belonging to specific classes of drugs.

Prerequisites

• Mathematical institutions
• Propedeuticità in ingresso: To take the exam of this teaching, it is necessary to have taken the following exams:
  • Chemistry and Chemical Technologies 8757 (cohort 2023/2024)
  • Mathematical Institutions

Teaching Methods

The module comprises 4 CFU, corresponding to 32 hours of teaching activities. The teaching methods include:

• Frontal lessons with insights related to the program (28 hours).
• Icebreaker activities to introduce specific topics.
• Peer education and peer evaluation methods to allow students to actively learn and acquire the ability to communicate effectively using appropriate terms.
• Exercises using data from scientific literature to consolidate and encourage the application of theoretical knowledge acquired during lectures.

Syllabus/Content

• Introduction to Pharmacology: Definition of drug, phases of pharmacological action, effects of drugs, disciplines studying drugs.
• History, discovery, and development of drugs.
• Qualitative and quantitative aspects of drug-receptor interaction.
• Drug targets: Receptors, signal transduction pathways, ion channels, enzymes, and transporters.
• Absorption and distribution of drugs: Routes of administration, passage of drugs across biological membranes, binding to plasma proteins and tissues.
• Drug metabolism: Phase 1 and Phase 2 reactions, induction and inhibition of metabolic enzymes, first-pass metabolism.
• Drug elimination.
• Quantitative pharmacokinetics: Pharmacokinetic parameters, plasma concentration-time curve, bioavailability, apparent volume of distribution, plasma clearance, area under the curve, half-life, steady-state plasma concentration.
• Interindividual variability in drug response.

Recommended Reading/Bibliography

• Rossi, Cuomo, Riccardi. Farmacologia. Principi di base e applicazioni terapeutiche. Edizioni Minerva Medica
• Govoni, Spampinato, Navarra, Corsini, …. Farmacologia, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana
• Rang HP, Dale MM, RitterJM, Flower RJ - Farmacologia - Ed. Elsevier Masson
• Goodman and Gilman. Le basi farmacologiche della terapia. Zanichelli
• Notes of Lessons

Teachers and Exam Board

• GUENDALINA OLIVERO
• Exam Board:
  • LAURA VERGANI (President)
  • GUENDALINA OLIVERO (President Substitute)
  • CHIARA CERVETTO (Substitute)
  • ELENA GRASSELLI (Substitute)

Lessons

• Lessons start: From March 2, 2026
• Class schedule: Available on Portale EasyAcademy

Exams

• Exam description: The Fundamentals of Pharmacology module assessment can only take place at the same time as the Fundamentals of Physiology module. Only in case of positive results for both evaluations will the examination be passed.
• Assessment methods: The examination board will verify the achievement of educational objectives with high accuracy, collecting information about the nature and extent of learning outcomes, as well as students' ability to reason and make connections within topics of the module.
• Exam schedule:
  • 27/01/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 20/02/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 26/05/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 16/06/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 21/07/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 01/09/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale
  • 15/09/2026 | 09:30 | GENOVA | Orale

Further Information

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework, and exams should speak with the instructor and with Professor Sergio Di Domizio, the Department's disability liaison.