Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

Online Course

University of Birmingham

Future Learn

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Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

What is the course about?
Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
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What is the course about?

Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

The course Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins is an online class provided by University of Birmingham through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Explore our past, present and future understanding of drugs with this online course. Where do drugs come from? How do they work?

Course description

2 weeks

Where do drugs come from?
We’ll start by reflecting on the nature of medicines and look at the history of some everyday drugs that have been taken by humans for centuries.
This will show us that many commonly used drugs were found somewhat accidentally – and often without any understanding of the science behind how they worked. Over time, this apparently random process has been refined and improved, so we’ll go on to consider recent advances in identifying potential drugs.

What is meant by the term “drug”
What do we need drugs for
How drugs are discovered: from natural substances to rational drug design
What factors have to be considered when developing the chemical molecule with therapeutic potential into a drug that patients can take
How is the safety of the drug tested and monitored

Identify a definition for the term drug
Discuss how the purpose of drugs can be for symptom relief, to cure a disease or to prevent a disease
Compare estimates for the length of time it takes to produce a drug and the cost of the process
Identify the different mechanisms by which drugs have been discovered and how these have changed over time
Explain how an understanding of the molecular structure of a drug target molecule can lead to the development of new drugs
Describe the journey that a drug has to take through the body to its target and the factors that influence how much drug arrives at the target
Compare the different routes by which drugs can be administered
Explain how drug formulation impacts on how the drug works in the body
Discuss the purpose of the various phases of clinical trials of drug development

This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in finding out where the drugs that keep us healthy come from. To take the course, the only experience you need is to have taken a drug – even just a throat lozenge.

University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a public research university, consistently listed as a leading UK university and ranked among the top 100 in the world.

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Prerequisites & Facts

Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

Course Topic

Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry, Healthcare & Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, Engineering & Maths

University, College, Institution

University of Birmingham

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

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Degree & Cost

Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / University of Birmingham you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

University of Birmingham

Good Brain, Bad Brain: Drug Origins

provided by Future Learn

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