General provisions

The course is part of Master's Programme in Biopharmaceuticals.

Entry requirements

Within the pharmacy programme, it is required that the student has attended semester 1-7 and passed a minimum of 150 credits, including a passed basic course in analytical chemistry or pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis.

For single subject course, a minimum of 150 credits within pharmaceutical science, chemistry, biology or a corresponding engineering program are required. Previous studies must encompass passed basic courses within analytical chemistry, minimum 7.5 credits. English language skills corresponding to basic admission criteria to Swedish higher education.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• Identify, explain and motivate the use of mass spectrometry as a tool for development of biological drugs in preclinical and clinical phase.
• Identify, explain and motivate the choice of analytical separation techniques coupled to mass spectrometry as function of sample type.
• Design strategies for identification of target proteins and lead compounds for drug development with proteomic methods.
• Use basic sample preparation and analysis techniques for proteomic studies.
• Apply bioinformatics methods for analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from proteomic studies and account for background, methods and results in a scientific report.

Content

The course covers analytical methods for proteomic measurements during the drug development process. Identification of target protein for drug design and evaluation of lead compounds with proteomic methods. Training of experimental skills include one week of experimental laboratory work with sample preparation, measurements with mass spectrometry and data analysis.

Instruction

Instruction is provided through lectures, experimental exercises, seminars, oral and written presentations, and self-education. Proficiency is achieved through writing of a personal experimental protocol, one week of experimental work with a proteomic study using mass spectrometry including data analysis, summarized in a written report and oral presentation.

Compulsory requirements: experimental exercises, seminars, written scientific report including oral presentation of results.

Assessment

Written examination at the end of the course. Written and oral presentation of experimental exercises. To pass the course, the student must pass the written examination (3 credits), and pass the compulsory requirements (3 credits for experimental exercises and 1.5 credits for seminars). Completion of compulsory parts of the course may be done at the earliest at the next course and then only if there is a vacancy.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.