MPharm Master of Pharmacy Master of Pharmacy: Research and Biostatistics 5

Question 1

In a pharmacogenomics study using genome-wide association (GWAS), what statistical threshold is typically applied to define significance?

Accepted Answer

p < 5×10⁻⁸

Answer

GWAS typically requires p < 5×10⁻⁸ to account for approximately one million independent tests performed across the genome (Bonferroni-corrected).

Question 2

In a dose-response study, the EC₅₀ represents:

Accepted Answer

The drug concentration producing 50% of the maximal effect

Answer

EC₅₀ is the effective concentration required to produce 50% of the maximal pharmacological response and is a key PD parameter.

Question 3

When a clinical trial's data safety monitoring board (DSMB) performs an interim analysis, they may use an O'Brien-Fleming boundary to:

Accepted Answer

Preserve the overall Type I error while allowing early stopping for efficacy

Answer

O'Brien-Fleming spending functions allocate alpha across interim looks, using very conservative early thresholds so the final alpha approximates the planned 0.05.

Question 4

A pharmacy researcher wants to measure inter-rater reliability for a subjective adverse event severity scale. The most appropriate statistic is:

Accepted Answer

Cohen's kappa

Answer

Cohen's kappa measures agreement between two raters on categorical classifications beyond what is expected by chance.

Question 5

In adaptive clinical trial designs, 'response-adaptive randomization' modifies:

Accepted Answer

Allocation probabilities based on accumulating outcome data

Answer

Response-adaptive randomization shifts allocation toward the better-performing arm as outcome data accumulate, increasing ethical efficiency.

MPharm Master of Pharmacy Practice Test

MPharm Master of Pharmacy Practice Test

MPharm Master of Pharmacy Master of Pharmacy: Research and Biostatistics 5