The Curriculum
Faculty and students from the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Physiology, the Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences, and the Graduate Center for Toxicology have joined together to develop an integrated first-year curriculum in the biomedical sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. All entering graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in these programs are now admitted through the Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS) Program, a first-year core curriculum designed to provide integrated training in modern basic sciences.
FIRST YEAR: Integrated Biomedical Sciences Courses
IBS-601 Biomolecules and Metabolism (3 credits)
IBS-602 Biomolecules and Molecular Biology (3 credits)
IBS-603 Cell Biology (3 credits)
IBS-604 Cell Signaling (3 credits)
IBS-605 Experimental Genetics (3 credits)
IBS-606 Integrated Biomedical Sciences (4 credits)
TOX-600 Ethics in Scientific Research (1 credit)
Required Courses in the Pharmacology Curriculum:
PHA-621 Principles of Drug Action (3 credits) Drs. Piascik & Swanson, Co-Directors
This course covers the interaction of drugs with pharmacologic receptors, the coupling of these receptors to intracellular signaling cascades, and the techniques used to identify and differentiate receptor subtypes. The factors governing drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion will also be discussed in detail.PHA-622 Molecular Drug Targets & Therapeutics (4 credits) Dr. Piascik
PHA 622 is an advanced course designed to provide graduate students with state of the art information regarding drugs, drug action and targets for drug action. Emphasis will be placed on drugs that interact with the cardiovascular system (PHA 622 section 001), the central nervous system (PHA 622 section 002) , chemotherapeutic agents, (PHA 622 section 003) and other important drugs classes such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, steroid hormones, endocrine drugs and toxicology (PHA 622 section 004).STA-580 Biostatistics (3 credits)
Descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, paired and unpaired tests, ANOVA, and other topics. STA-570 can be taken instead.
Advanced Pharmacology Electives:
PHA-616 Biology and Therapy of Cancer (3 credits) Dr. Rangnekar, Director
Cancer biology will be discussed at the molecular, cellular, and organismic level. Emphasis will be placed on aspects of cellular signaling, apoptosis, and the cell cycle which are unique to cancer cells. Same course as MED/MI 616.PHA-617 Physiological Genomics (2 credits) Drs. McClintock & Chen, Co-Directors
The study of function by global analysis of gene expression. Teaches the concepts, techniques, and functional significance of analyzing gene expression patterns. The technical emphasis is on the design and analysis of DNA microarray experiments.PHA-710 Aging of the Nervous System (3 credits) Dr. Gerhardt, Director
This course will examine the alterations in the brain that occur with aging and in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The course will examine aging at several levels, including molecular, cellular, organismic, and behavioral.