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Using Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenetics

Get to grips with pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine, so you can make informed treatment decisions.

3,884 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours

Discover how personalized medicine can be used in treatment decisions

Personalized medicine and pharmacogenetics both promise exciting new developments in healthcare. On this course you will explore their potential, taking a close look at the human genome, genome and exome sequencing, pharamcogenetics tests, a review of current best evidence and the use of personalized medicine in cancer therapy. Finally you will apply what you’ve learned to prescribing fluoropyrimidines (FU), enabling you to test your knowledge so you feel confident about applying it in your own discipline.

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What topics will you cover?

  • Background information
  • Genetic variation & genetic disease
  • Pharmacology & pharmacokinetics
  • Clinical & ethical scenarios
  • Cancer biology & cancer genetics
  • Evidence-based practice

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Describe the human genome
  • Compare Mendelian traits with complex genetic traits
  • Explain DNA analysis & discuss the importance of whole genome sequencing and exome sequencing
  • Explain the problem of variants of unknown significance
  • Describe pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
  • Discuss adverse events and the ethical principle “to do no harm”
  • Discuss pharmacogenetic tests and clinical utility
  • Explain driver mutations and companion diagnostics
  • Discuss the use of treatment stratification and rational drug design for cancer patients
  • Apply the principles of personalised medicine to the safe prescribing of fluoropyrimidines (FU)

Who is the course for?

This course has been specially created for qualified clinicians (general practitioners, oncologists, general physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, clinical scientists) and scientists (biologists and bioinformaticians) with a role in prescribing medicines or managing patients undergoing treatments.

Who will you learn with?

I joined Norwich Medical School as part of the inaugural team in 2002; I am a Senior Lecturer and the academic lead for the Genetics Curriculum. My research spans pharmacogenetics and cancer genetics.

Who developed the course?

UEA (University of East Anglia)

The University of East Anglia is an internationally renowned university providing top quality academic, social and cultural facilities to over 15,000 students from over 100 countries around the globe.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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