Master of Science in Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine Sciences

Master of Science in Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine Science

Curriculum Matrix

Natural drugs are substances occurring in nature or natural sources that can be used to diagnose, treat and prevent disease in humans and animals.

The world is moving to green /smart technologies away from fossil products that damage the environment and are less compatible with human or animal life.   Natural drug products and biopharmaceuticals are on increasing demand, and African countries have a big comparative advantage over other continents due to the rich yet unexploited biodiversity. Africa still has many undiscovered medicinal plants, fungi, bacteria etc. that could be sources of novel healthcare products.

A Master of Science in Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine Sciences is relevant for Uganda and Africa with abundant biodiversity because it promotes discovery, identification, conservation, protection and sustainable utilization of the flora and fauna for healthcare in humans and animals.

The two-year full-time program, with a minimum graduation load of 75 Credit Units is developed following the Pharmbiotechnology and Traditional Medicine Centre of Excellence mission of solving one of Africa’s regional development challenges i.e. the high disease burden and low productivity based on a World Bank report. This program therefore is intended to build a critical mass of highly needed skilled graduates to drive the exponentially growing demand for natural drugs, as well as other healthcare products.

The mission of this program is to provide the graduate with the relevant and practical knowledge base, skills, attitudes, ethics and values to engage in advanced level of natural medicines research, product development, production and business practice.

The curriculum is unique in that it combines traditional Pharmacognosy, natural medicine knowledge and pharmaceutical biotechnology which enable the graduate to be an expert that can translate natural drugs or preparations thereof from field to shelves. Thus the philosophy behind this program - ‘natural drugs from field to shelves’.

At the end of the 2-year program, the graduate would have acquired specialized knowledge, skills and competencies in the areas of Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine Science, and would be able to chart careers pathways in both the public and private sectors, including but not limited to the following areas: Research and medical Institutions, Pharma companies, nutraceutceutical and phytopharmaceutical companies, herbal medicine industries, cosmetic industries, health ministries, Drug Regulatory Agencies, Businesses and supply chain units such as Herbal and food supplement stores, pharmacy and medical Teaching institutions, just to name a few.

Mission and Philosophy the Master of Pharmacognosy and Natural Medicine Science Program.

To provide the graduate with the relevant knowledge base, skills, attitudes, ethics and values to engage in advanced natural drugs and natural medicines level research, product development, production and business practice. The philosophy is

‘Nature derived healthcare products the future of healthcare’

Overall Aim of the Program

The aim of the program is to prepare the graduates as specialist skilled human resource to exploit Africa’s rich biodiversity to drive traditional/natural medicine industry in the African region. They will be able to employ their knowledge and skills to discover drugs from natural sources or living organisms and apply modern methods and tools such as biotechnology for their development and large-scale production in Africa.

Specific Objectives

To train scientists who are able to:

1. Discover and develop natural drugs,
2. Design and conduct experiments to test and identify the natural drugs.

• Extract, Isolate, purify and determine the active molecules from the natural drug source.

1. To determine the molecular structure of the active molecules
2. Apply biotechnology to produce or biosynthesize the drug molecules.
3. Determine the preclinical efficacy and safety of the active molecules from the natural sources.

• Develop natural drug/traditional medicine formulas and their production methods into various modern dosage forms including tablets, capsules, syrups, inhalations, sprays, intravenous preparations.
• Understand the medicinal product value chain (including clinical trial phases) and pharmaceutical business world.

1. Set up a medicinal product business along the value chain
2. Understand and adhere to the laws, regulations, ethics, and agreements in the pharmaceutical business world.

Core competencies/Learning outcomes

Students should be able to

1. Apply pharmacognostic methods to identify and classify natural drugs and traditional medicines
2. Isolate, characterize, classify and quantify natural drug compounds

• Determine bioactivities, toxicities and safety of natural drug compounds and traditional medicine products.

1. Produce raw materials, manufacture and manage distribution of natural drugs and traditional medicines
2. Design quality assurance systems and carry out quality control tests for natural drugs and traditional medicines
3. Interpret national and International laws and regulations governing natural drugs and tradition medicines

• Design and inspect facilities and equipment for natural drugs and traditional medicines
• Design and conduct research/experiments involving natural drugs

1. Establish natural drugs and traditional medicines businesses

Career and employment opportunities

The students of this program will graduate as Pharmacognosist with added knowledge of Traditional Medicine Science and pharmacobiotechnology. They will be able to advance their career through Research PhD in areas of natural products chemistry, pharmacobiotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals etc. They will be able to do research and develop cures and products derived from natural sources. As the world turns to natural products due to their preferred safety, availability and efficacy, a career as a pharmacognosist holds a lot of promise.

Pharmacognosists work in a variety of settings. They may be hired by;

1. pharmaceutical firms as part of their team that develops new drugs,
2. Agricultural companies to develop feeds and pesticides

• Consumer products companies to come up with different kinds of consumer products like food, preservatives and others.

1. Government agencies are also another work setting for pharmacognosists especially regulatory agencies, health ministries, etc.
2. Research and medical Institutions such as the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institutes, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Tropical Disease Research Institute etc
3. Herbal medicine industries which are expected to grow exponentially due to increasing demand for natural healthcare products

• Cosmetic and perfume industries that utilize natural products for perfumes, hair products etc
• Teaching and research institutions including schools of pharmacy in Uganda and the region.

1. Businesses and supply chain material production
2. Pharmacy, Herbal and food supplement stores

Innovations

1. Bridging academics with industry practice by combining course units in pharmacognosy, biotechnology and herbal/traditional medicine
2. Application of knowledge and skills of modern science and technology in development of natural drugs/traditional medicines into modern dosage forms

• Combine natural drugs and traditional medicine development cycle and business value in one curriculum.

1. Longer periods of exposure during second year with industries and traditional medicine practice areas
2. Lectures and skilling by industry experts
3. Immersion learning through community placement/attachments

• Collaborative teaching and learning with leading Universities from abroad

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to this programme, the candidate must fulfil the general University requirements for admission to a Master’s Programme. In addition, the candidate must be a holder of a good first degree in health sciences, chemical and biological sciences.

Year 1 Semester 1: Course units

Year 1 Semester 2 Course units

Year 2 Semester 1 Course units

Year 2 Semester 2 Course units