Course Review: 

Medsci204 provides a broad introduction to drug action and toxicity. This course supplies you with a working understanding of the nature, applications, and implications of basic pharmacological and toxicological principles. This knowledge provides you with the foundations and basic ideas required for further studies in pharmacology. As per most Medsci courses, Medsci204 is challenging yet highly interesting. In terms of difficulty, I found Medsci204 to be more tolerable than other Medscis, such as Medsci205 and Medsci206. This can be attributed to the lectures being highly cohesive, which made it easier to link ideas/lectures together and better understand how they fit into the bigger picture.

As of 2025, there were ~27 examined lectures. This made the course more bearable than other Medscis which contained more examined lectures. Adding to my experience in Medsci204 were the course coordinators Leslie and Rachel. Both Leslie and Rachel were very supportive. approachable and responsive on Ed discussion and emails. However, the quality of responses on Ed discussion may vary and sometimes left students with much to be desired. They are responsible for running the workshops, labs and in-class tutorials. Ultimately, Medsci204 is very interesting and worth taking if you are curious about pharmacology and the process of discovering, testing and getting a drug to market.

 

Content

Lectures

The lectures for Medsi204 were divided into 3 lecture blocks: Foundation of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Applied Pharmacology and Translational Pharmacology. Lectures are delivered in person three times a week, with recordings available after ~24 hours, except in the event of technical difficulties. Throughout the semester, tutorials were occasionally held during lecture slots and were very helpful in preparing for the tests, assignments and labs. Most lecturers seemed passionate about their topics, making learning more interesting and engaging.

 

Lecture Block 1: Foundation of Pharmacology & Toxicology

This block covers 13 lectures delivered by 4 lecturers.

Lecture Block 1 introduces the ideas of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. As these topics were prevalent and integrated into later lecture blocks, it is recommended to gain a firm grasp of them to avoid difficulties keeping up. Prof Debbi Young delivered the early lectures. She goes over pharmacodynamics and the mechanism of action of drugs. Personally, I enjoyed Debbi’s lectures because her explanations are easy to understand, and she helps us visualise the process, which is great for visual learners. Similar to Dr Natasha Grimsey, who does lectures 5 and 6. Before Dr Jacueline Hannam’s lectures, the first MST was worth 10%; both MSTs consisted of SAQs. Although it was very early, it was very tolerable given that there were fewer lectures to study for. Dr Jacueline Hannam’s lectures had a lot of content to learn, but were conceptually relatively easy. These ADME and Pharmacokinetics lectures were highly integrated, with one concept leading into the next. During these lectures, calculations were also introduced, which can sometimes be hard to get your head around. But overall, if you follow along with the lectures and understand every step, it should not be that hard. The second MST was held before the mid-semester break and was also worth 10%.

 

Lecture Block 2: Applied Pharmacology

This was the shortest block, consisting of 3 lectures. These lectures explore the idea that drug effects vary from person to person and why this may be the case. 

 

Lecture Block 3: Translational Pharmacology.

This block covered 13 lectures. During this block, we get to learn about how drugs are discovered, developed and finally brought to the market for use. The lectures follow a sequence of steps relevant to drug discovery and development. So, each lecture is taken mainly by different lecturers. I enjoyed this lecture block as it helped tie all the learnt content from previous lectures together and allowed me to understand what goes into developing a new novel drug. 

 

Laboratories/Workshops

The workshops and labs for Medsci204 were divided into 4 modules. These workshops are held in even/odd weeks, with each module lasting 2 weeks. Students attend one workshop per module as scheduled on SSO. Attendance is mandatory, and workshops are not recorded. Workshops 1 and 2 were held in a classroom, whereas workshops 3 and 4 were held in a lab. Therefore, lab coats and glasses were required.

 

Module 1- Data and Literature analysis 

The main objective of this workshop is to learn where data come from, how to extract information from a scientific journal article, and how to interpret scientific data. We are also required to apply pharmacodynamic principles to a real-life drug example. After this workshop, Assignment 1 was assigned for individual completion. Post-workshop quizzes were also to be completed. The assignment content relates to what is explained in the workshop, so it is essential to actively participate in the workshops. Additionally, content from the lectures is relevant in the workshops, so try to stay on top of the content

 

Module 2- Data and Literature Analysis 2

This workshop focuses on data evaluation and asks how data is used to reach conclusions about scientific questions. Scientific rationale was used to come to an evidence-based decision regarding the use of cannabidiol as a treatment for refractory epilepsy. Assignment 2 was assigned, and a post-workshop quiz was recommended to be completed before beginning the assignment. I found the post-workshop assignment to be relatively tricky. However, we were provided with practice resources, so I recommend outlining your ideas and evidence to help structure the essay logically. 

 

Module 3- Anticancer drug screening & Cell viability assays

In this module, drugs were screened using an in vitro cell viability assay to identify potential anticancer drugs. These experiments were conducted in pairs; however, assessments were done individually. During the lab, a protocol must be followed to obtain data. With the data you get, this lab relates directly to the drug discovery and development lectures in the translational pharmacology lecture block. My advice would be to review the lab protocol before the lab, so you understand what to do and don’t get lost. Before the lab ends, you must finish a short, marked, closed-book canvas quiz that contributes to your final grade. Practice quizzes were available, which made this quiz less stressful and more tolerable.

 

Module 4 - Measuring Drug Concentrations

This workshop module focuses on the measurement of drug concentrations in biological samples, the reliability of the methods used to obtain these measurements, and how knowledge of drug concentrations can inform the safe and effective use of drugs. A lab protocol must be followed, and your results must be entered into an Excel template. The instructions for the result section were very clear and easy to follow. However, if you are not familiar with Excel, I recommend learning some basic functions. There were many resources available on Canvas to prepare you for the lab, so I recommend reviewing them before your lab. There is an in-lab assessment quiz.

 

Case Study

The case study is an assessment worth 15% of your course marks, in which you must use your MEDSCI 204 knowledge and skills to explain the pharmacological basis of the case study scenario and complete a given task. This assignment had a word limit of 825 words, required 2 annotated figures, and involved a fair bit of research. Ultimately, I enjoyed the case study because it was a great way to apply my knowledge to a scenario. A short tutorial was held during a lecture slot for further support with the case study

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Calculation quiz

A calculation test worth 5% (as of 2025) was also assigned later in the semester. This test required you to comfortably convert one unit to another, understand how dilutions influence concentration and how to acquire a desired concentration of a solution.

It was a MCQ canvas quiz held outside of class, where students had 25 minutes to answer 10 questions. Practice questions and resources were provided on the Canvas page to help you prepare. Typically, during this period of the semester, you may get swamped with assignments. I would recommend doing this test as soon as possible to get it out of the way and work on other tasking assignments