LIFE 315 Drug Metabolism and Drug Response

School of Life Sciences
Coursework assessment for Assessment Cycle 2 (semester 1, 2023/24)
LIFE 315 Drug Metabolism and Drug Response
Module organiser: Dr Dan Carr
Maximum word count: 1,500 words
Please read all instructions (general and specific) carefully! Please also make sure to familiarise yourself with the student guidance for written assessments (Canvas > OX-LIFE-Sciences-202324 > Assessment).
General instructions to students:
1. Word count
• The word count is a maximum (not plus/minus 10%). There is no minimum word count.
• Please refer to the specific instructions below regarding what is and what isn’t included in the maximum word count for this assignment.
• Penalties will be applied for exceeding the word count as follows:
o Up to 1% (e.g. up to 2020 for a 2000 word maximum) no penalty
o Up to 10% (e.g. between 2021 and 2200 words) 5 % penalty
o Up to 20% (e.g. between 2201 and 2400 words) 10 % penalty
o Etc. (i.e. 5% penalty for every 10% above word count)
• Enter your word count at the bottom of your submission
2. Submission
• Your work should be submitted via the submission link in your module area in Canvas
• Please make sure that you follow the guidance on written assessments which can be found on the School Canvas Page.
• Also refer to the School Canvas pages in relation to the penalties for Late Submission and possible exemptions.
• If you have any technical problems submitting to Canvas by the deadline, you must email your work to the module organiser (copying in sls-assessment@liv.ac.uk ) by the deadline, as evidence that you have submitted in time. You should also provide a screenshot of the error you are experiencing. You should then continue to attempt submitting via Canvas.
3. Academic Integrity
The University’s Academic Integrity policy and your annual Academic Integrity declaration
apply to this assessment. If necessary, the full range of penalties (Category A, B, C, D, and E)
will be available to examiners if they discover contraventions of the Academic Integrity
policy. You can consult the University’s Academic Integrity guide for students here:
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/tqsd/code-of-practice-on-assessment/appendix_L_cop_assess_annex1.pdf
Please remember you should follow the guidance given on making GAI Declarations by including the appropriate statement in your work:
Please note: Your answer should be written in your own words. Do not use any verbatim (word for word) quotes. Your assignment may not contain verbatim (copy-and-paste) material that you have submitted for another assessment, either on this or a different module.
Expectations:
In this assessment, we expect students to write a well-structured essay which correctly uses the appropriate terminology and referencing. To provide context, you should give background information based on the relevant module content. When you address the question, you should use your knowledge and understanding of the module content, but you should also use relevant literature to add a different perspective and/or more detail. At the higher end of the marking scheme, markers will also be looking for an element of criticality and synthesis. We will also expect a well-founded conclusion.
Specific instructions:
Please choose TWO out of the THREE questions below.
Coursework Question(s):
Question 1
Table 1 (below) shows some pharmacokinetic (PK) data for Drug A and Drug B, derived from a clinical study, which investigated the absolute bioavailability and impact of food on drug exposure.
a) For both drugs, calculate the absolute bioavailability. Examine any differences in PK following the different modes of administration. Discuss the mechanisms by which PK may be altered in these examples, relating to the processes of drug absorption. 30% (450 words)
b) Acid-modifying agents can also impact the oral PK of certain drugs. Using named drug examples, describe the different types of acid-modifying agents and evaluate how oral PK could be altered following co-administration. 20% (300 words).
Table 1 Pharmacokinetic data of Drug A and B following administration intravenously and orally under fasted and fed conditions.
Intravenously
Orally, fasted
Orally, fed
P1
Drug A
Tmax (hr) – Median
(inter-quartile range)
0.67
(0.58-0.93)
1.28
(0.48-1.52)
2.48
(1.62-3.1)
0.001
Cmax (mg/L) – Geometric mean
(range)
6.2
(3.4-14.1)
4.5
(2.0-7.5)
2.6
(1.2-5.9)
0.001
AUC0-24 (mg.h/L) – Geometric mean
(range)
16.8
(8.0-36.6)
15.6
(7.5-33.0)
13.1
(5.5-36.8)
0.014
Bioavailability – F (%)
0.014
Drug B
Tmax (hr) – Median
(inter-quartile range)
1.25
(1.00-1.55)
3.00
2.18-3.31
3.00
(2.52-4.12)
0.136
Cmax (mg/L) – Geometric mean
(range)
5.3
(2.6-10.4)
2.8
(0.6-6.3)
2.5
(0.8-3.7)
0.126
AUC0-24 (mg.h/L) – Geometric mean
(range)
18.1
(10.8-33.7)
15.7
(7.0-24.9)
14.8
(7.33-33.5)
0.681
Bioavailability – F (%)
0.681
1 P-value calculated using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. P values ≤0.05 were considered significant
Question 2
A 65-year-old male is undergoing treatment for colorectal cancer. However, his treatment is paused owing to a severe adverse drug reaction. Using an appropriate example of a chemotherapeutic (anti-cancer) drug, describe the involvement of drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions and genetic variation in the development of such an adverse drug reaction. In your answer, evaluate how genetics can be utilised to predict and reduce the risk of an adverse reaction to your drug. 50% (750 words).
Question 3
Many physico-chemical characteristics are known to influence possible responses, whether adverse or efficacious, to nanotherapeutics that are based on nanoparticle formulations. Give examples of the techniques used to identify key characteristics that are linked to these responses. Your answer should include advantages and disadvantages of these techniques and how those characteristics relate to nano-bio interactions.