You are to write a paper examining a topic regarding pharmacology research. The research may be basic science, translational, clinical, or a combination. Your paper should include references to empirical data and should not simply be a review of current clinical use, mechanism of action, or past history of a drug or class of drugs. You MUST write on one of the paper topics below.
Your goal is to demonstrate that you have a working understanding of the pharmacological information presented in this course and that you are able to apply that understanding to new material.
Success in communicating scientific knowledge is dependent on not only the quality of the scientific content, but also your ability to coherently put your thoughts into words and the technical aspects of spelling and grammar. With this in mind, your grade will be based on all of these aspects. With that said, scientific writing should be succinct and to the point. It should not be flowery and verbose. Your goal is to make sure your writing style does not detract from the effectiveness of the paper. Write something that conveys your message, doesn’t have obvious grammatical mistakes, doesn’t have typos, and isn’t overtly clunky, and you should receive full points for your writing style.
The grading rubric for this paper is below. It is suggested that you read through it and keep it in mind while writing your paper.
Allowed Topics
A. How did beta-blockers become first line therapy for heart failure patients? Highlight history and include some discussion of data that supported their use in HF.
B. How did ACE inhibitors become first line therapy for heart failure patients? Highlight history and include some discussion of data that supported their use in HF.
C. Discuss pre-clinical and early clinical studies supporting novel therapeutic approaches. Focus on either Omecamtiv or Mavacampten. Paper should discuss mechanism of drug, why it might be better than current agents, and what are the potential limitations of this novel therapeutic.
