BI3VP1: Venoms and Poisons: from Pharmacology to Therapeutics

Module code: BI3VP1

Module provider: School of Biological Sciences

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Phillip Dash , email: p.r.dash@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Professor Julie Hawkins, email: j.a.hawkins@reading.ac.uk

Additional teaching staff 1: Dr Andrew Bicknell, email: a.b.bicknell@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Venoms and poisons are widely used for defence or predation. This interdisciplinary module will allow you to gain a comprehensive overview of the topic, including an introduction to important venomous and poisonous animals and poisonous plants and fungi. You will learn about the evolution and ecology of venoms and poisons, the biochemistry underpinning their synthesis, mechanism of action and general principles of toxicology. We will explore how venoms and poisons can be used for medicinal purposes, such as in the development of new drugs and treatments for various diseases. By doing so, you will develop a greater understanding of the principles of pharmacology, including drug-receptor interactions, the relationship between dose and response, routes of administration and how drugs are metabolised. We will also discuss the principles of ecotoxicology and the potential environmental applications of venoms and poisons as biopesticides.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Critically discuss the evolution of venoms and poisons, including the adaptations that occur in response Critically evaluate the treatment strategies in cases of poisoning or envenomation.  
2. Critically discuss the potential applications of both venoms and poisons in medicine, agriculture and scientific research. 
3. Compare and contrast the ecological roles of venoms and poisons and apply knowledge of animal venoms to predict the nature of predators and their prey based on the molecular composition of their venom 
4. Discover the importance of venoms and poisons in the development of novel therapeutic agents and describe the key concepts within the field of pharmacology and the importance of drug actions in the treatment of disease 

Module content

• Evolution of venoms
• Snakes & snakebites
• Invertebrate chemical defences
• Marine venoms and poisons
• Plant poisons
• Bioprospecting
• Biochemistry of poisons
• Principles of toxicology
• Ecotoxicoloy
• Treatments for envenomations and poisonings
• Clinical applications of venoms and poisons
• Environmental applications of venoms and poisons

• Principles of pharmacology including the principles of drug-receptor interactions, the
  relationship between dose and response, routes of administration, types of drugs,
  how drugs are metabolised and eliminated from the body.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The learning outcomes will be met through a mixture of lectures, laboratory-based practical classes, self-directed learning and directed independent study. Appropriate supplementary information and reading lists will be provided on Blackboard. 

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs