Pharmacology Teaching Material
Dr. Richard Prince University of Manchester
The material on this website was developed over the course of my 18 years teaching pharmacology, neuroscience and physiology at the University of Manchester. I've always been happy to share resources with colleagues, but it's taken getting a small teaching grant from the British Pharmacological Society to overcome my inertia and do something about making it more widely available. So... thank you BPS.
Most of the figures available here were produced using Omnigraffle. If you would like the original Omnigraffle files, please contact me. The majority of the drawings are completely original, but some use stencils freely downloadable from Graffletopia.
Animations were produced in Adobe Flash. The .fla source files are included with the download.
All material is offered on a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Licence.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/Finally, if you think any of the material offered here needs revision due to factual errors, or you feel I have breached your copyright, please:
Email me!
Jump to:
Simulations
Excel and Word
Click on the cogs to jump to my functional preparation simulations.
Cogs image by Emmanuel Huybrechts. Creative Commons licence.
Other teaching material
Assorted material from my lecture and tutorial teaching.
Click on the sweeties to jump to this section.
Allsorts image by Ali K from Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons licence
Images
Mostly PNG files
Click on the nicotinic receptor to jump to the image section.
I've produced these mostly for my lectures. Some may also be useful in the generation of MCQ questions.
Animations
HTML5, GIF
Click on the fly to jump to my HTML5 and GIF animations
Simulations
SimXL manual and tutorials
Zip folder
A guide to how my SimXL functional simulations work, and how you can modify them for your own teaching.
SimXL_ileum simulations
Zip folder
Two simulation exercises based on the guinea pig ileum preparation. The first explores agonist potency and efficacy and facets of competitive antagonism. The second gets students to perform Schild analysis. Manuals and model answers are provided.
SimXL_oocyte
Zip folder
A simulation of two-electrode voltage clamp of oocytes expressing nicotinic receptors. Students perform Schild analysis on two unknown compounds. Manuals and model answers provided.
SimXL_myograph
Zip folder
A simulation of the wire myograph. Students construct cumulative concentration-response curves to phenylephrine in arteries from patients with DD or II/ID ACE genotypes and examine the effects of angiotensin II. Manuals and model answers provided.
SimBinding GABAA simulation
Zip folder
Simulated binding assay at the benzodiazepine site of GABAA receptors. Students prepare serial dilutions and set up saturation and competition binding assays. SoftChalk lessons are provided (links and source files) together with a user manual.
SimXL Whole cell patch clamp simulation
Zip folder
This is a STUDENT GENERATED resource that simulates activation and modulation of a variety of GABAA receptor subunit combinations. It does not use the standard SimXL response "engine" and so isn't covered by the manual. It comes with a set of questions (originally delivered via Blackboard) that are supposed to stimulate students to design a series of experiments. I will be porting this to a new SimXL version when I get the chance.
Images
Xenopus oocyte bath
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
This figure illustrates TEVC. The right hand panel is designed to show drug application via a capilliary
Xenopus Oocyte
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Basic diagram illustrating a Xenopus oocyte impaled with TEVC electrodes. The bath electrode is on the left of the figure.
Oocyte with TEVC amplifier
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Organ bath with data acquisition system
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
The Neutrik connectors used in this image were uploaded to Graffletopia by user Shoon
Tissue bath series
Zip folder. Click to download
Set of four tissue bath illustrations that I use in my introduction to our level 1 guinea pig ileum practical. Each figure is a separate PNG file.
Basic computer monitor
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Alpha screen
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
I drew this figure because I was too lazy to produce an animation!
Centrifuge
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
This image is used in one of my binding assay animations, but has been useful in other teaching too.
Simulated single channel openings
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
This figure was designed to illustrate the behaviour of a ligand-gated ion channel such as the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
Combined Caco-2/hepatocyte assay
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
We use this figure in our Clinical Drug Development module online coursework
Eppendorf tube
Zip folder containing PNG files
A set of 1.5 and 2 ml Eppendorf tubes filled with various coloured liquids. Simple but surprising useful.
Bovine Cornea Opacity and Permeability assay chamber
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
BCOP assays are an alternative to the infamous Draize eye test. We use this in a tutorial activity on the 3Rs.
Slice patch clamp
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Illustrates patching in a tissue slice, or intact tissues.
Eppendorf pipette
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
This image is used in some of my HTML5 animations. The thumbnail here is poorly scaled compared to the full image.
Patch clamp on cultured cell
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Designed to illustrate agonist application via theta tubing. The cell is coloured green due to cotransfection with GFP.
Ryanodine receptor/DHP receptor tetrad
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Ok.... it does look like a stack of liquorice allsorts!
Normal EMG
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Control EMG - used in conjunction with the next image to illustrate testing for myasthenia gravis
Myasthenic EMG
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
See previous image.
Visual evoked potential in MS
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Shows decline in conduction velocity in multiple sclerosis
Wire myograph
Zip folder containing PNG files
Contains three views of the wire myograph. These images are used in the supporting material for the SimXL_myograph simulation
Optical isomers
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
A simple illustration of an enantiomeric pair
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (or other LGIC)
Zip folder containing PNG files
Four images of nicotinic receptors: muscle, homomeric neuronal, 2x heteromeric neuronal. Created many years ago in POVRay, which I no-longer use. I do not have the source files any more.
Subunit cartoons
Zip folder containing PNG files
Simple cartoons of: ligand gated ion channel subunit; GPCR subunit; voltage gated sodium channel subunit.
Langendorf heart preparation
PNG file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Diagram of the Langendorf heart preparation, with ventricular balloon.
Animations
Hill slope animation.
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
This is a simple interactive animation that illustrates the variable slope Hill equation. The three drugs produce concentration response curves with the same EC50, but different slopes.
FRET animation
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
An interactive animation illustrating the basic principles of FRET. The HTML file be embedded in web pages or SoftChalk lessons
Binding assay animation (centrifugation)
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
An HTML5 animation showing the basic principles of a radioligand binding assay, with separation of bound and free by centrifugation.
Binding assay animation (filtration)
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
Scintillation proximity assay animation
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
Simple interactive animation illustrating the basic principles of SPA
Cooperativity (KNF) animation
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
A very simple animation showing a conformational change propagating from one binding site to another.
Non-specific binding animation
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
An overview of how excess cold ligand can be used to quantify NSB in a radioligand binding assay.
Drosophila animated GIF
GIF file. Click to open in new window, right click to download linked file.
Not really pharmacology, but I'm proud of this and I do use it when talking about Long-QT (ether a go-go).
Other Teaching Material
Drug Discovery and Development Game
Zip folder. Click to download. Open the Start here.doc file first.
A semester long coursework activity based on drug discovery in the garden gnome. It runs in SoftChalk and on Blackboard. The zip file contains links to modules for one of the four disease targets and the corresponding data and Blackboard quizzes. If you are interested in using this, you will need to get in touch to work out how we can work together to port it to your system.
Tomato tutorial: data presentation and figure legend writing
Zip folder. Click to download. Run from HTML file
Not exactly pharmacology, but it works well. Students are given results from three experiments and have to decide how to present them. I use this to show them when text, tables and figures are appropriate..... I wrote it because I had had enough of looking at bar graphs showing two data points!
There is a Powerpoint presentation in the zip file that I use in the tutorial.
Gnome binding: figure legend writing and annotated practical reports
Zip folder containing Word documents.
I used to run a ligand binding practical using rat brain, but told the students in the manual that it was gnome, so they could not work out what the results "should be". I generated some heavily annotated write-ups to serve as model answers. Both the good and bad versions came from student work (though they are composites). Note that although I do not mince my words in this example, my actual feedback comments to students are much more supportive!
There is also a tutorial figure legend writing exercise based on this practical. Clearly, if you do the tutorial activity, do not give the students the annotated reports first. The tutorial version can also be used to practice abstract writing.
Pharmacology logic puzzle
Zip folder contains Word documents, Excel workbook and a PowerPoint presentation
I run this logic puzzle as an end of semester activity for my pharmacology theory unit. It is "bloody hard" according to the students, but that may be due to the amount of alcohol they put away whilst doing it. The PowerPoint contains a grid that they have to fill their answers into, and the Word document contains text and graphical clues. I still use this for teaching, so am not posting the answers here - if you want them, drop me an email from your University staff account.
Also included here are the logic puzzle template and instructions that I will present in the Pharmacology 2017 Education workshop (see you there!)