PHARMACOKINETIC MODELLING - 2028/9

Module Overview

In this module, you will develop a high-level understanding of how drugs behave in the body and how this behaviour can be described and predicted. You will build the foundational pharmacokinetic thinking needed to interpret drug concentration - time data and to understand how dosing, formulation, and physiological factors influence drug performance. The knowledge and skills gained in this module will advance your learning in drug chemistry and biopharmaceutics design, helping you to connect molecular properties and formulation choices with in vivo drug behaviour and therapeutic outcomes.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2028/9 academic year.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

ZARMPI Panagiota (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:
IV administration ¿ Compartmental PK models: concepts of one and two-compartment models. One compartment model after IV injection and infusion.
ADME: distribution (mechanisms of distribution, factors affecting distribution, apparent volume of distribution, protein binding), elimination (drug clearance, urinary excretion, hepatic elimination - biotransformation, Michaelis - Menten kinetics).
Oral administration: first-order and zero-order input of the drug into the systemic circulation. Repeated dosing and the concept of accumulation, flip-flop kinetics.
Two compartment model: IV administration.
Kinetics of metabolites.
PBPK modelling.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide you with opportunities to demonstrate understanding of core principles while developing practical and analytical skills essential for a career in pharmaceutical sciences.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• PK modelling portfolio, (LOs: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

• Oral examination, (LOs: 1, 4 and 5)

Formative assessment is designed to support your learning and development by providing ongoing feedback and opportunities to consolidate knowledge, develop practical skills, and link theory to practice. It includes activities such as in-class quizzes, problem-solving exercises, workshops, and group discussions. In laboratory sessions, formative assessment is provided through guided worksheets, and informal feedback from instructors, enabling you to prepare for experiments, interpret results, and refine practical techniques before submitting summative lab reports. These activities are intended to help you identify areas for improvement, enhance critical thinking, and develop transferable skills such as teamwork, scientific communication, and data analysis, ensuring you are well-prepared for the summative assessments and for progression to more advanced pharmaceutics content in later years.
Feedback will be provided throughout the module during lectures, through interactions in laboratory and workshop sessions, and on individual laboratory reports. This will include general guidance to the whole group as well as specific feedback on work to support learning and development. In addition, one-to-one feedback can be requested by appointment with the module leader or relevant lecturer, providing opportunities for further discussion and clarification of concepts.

Module aims

• Introduce the fundamental principles of pharmacokinetic modelling and its role in understanding drug behaviour.
• Enable students to understand and interpret key pharmacokinetic metrics relevant to drug and formulation design.
• Develop the ability to apply pharmacokinetic concepts to real-world drug development scenarios.
• Progress students from basic modelling approaches to more advanced pharmacokinetic modelling strategies.
• Develop skills in analysing, visualising and interpreting pharmacokinetic datasets using appropriate tools.
• Enable students to critically evaluate modelling assumptions, limitations and applications.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: provide you with a solid theoretical foundation in the subject matter while also developing practical, cognitive, and transferable skills essential for future careers.
The learning and teaching methods include:
Lectures: delivered primarily through PowerPoint and led by experienced members of academic staff with subject-specific expertise. The lectures will focus on introducing key pharmacokinetic concepts, Sessions will be interactive, with regular opportunities for students to ask questions, engage in guided problem solving and reflective thinking, and receive timely feedback from staff and peers.
Workshops: delivered by experienced academic staff with subject-specific expertise and will adopt a problem-based learning approach centred on relevant, real-world scenarios. Students will be provided with structured exercises that encourage application of core concepts, critical thinking, and professional judgement.
Dedicated time will be allocated for students to work through tasks individually and collaboratively, with ongoing opportunities to interact with the lecturer, ask questions, and engage in discussion. Each session will conclude with lecturer-led feedback, including worked solutions and guided reflection, to consolidate learning and support the development of transferable skills relevant to future academic study and professional practice.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: CHE3074

Other information

The school of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience.
This module will help you develop valuable digital skills that are increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry. You will gain hands-on experience with modern pharmacokinetic software, including tools used for PBPK modelling and advanced data analysis, allowing you to interpret and visualise drug concentration-time data more effectively. These digital capabilities will also strengthen your employability, as you will build practical experience in data interpretation, model-based decision making, and scientific communication; skills that are highly sought after in drug development, biopharmaceutics, and related research roles.