534-306 Drug Discovery

534-301 Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology; exemption may be given at the discretion of the Head of Department. Some 200-level chemistry is desirable, preferably 610-210 or 610-221.

The teaching program will introduce students to the means by which new drugs can be discovered. The lectures will cover the following topics: historical background; choice of therapeutic target; screening; rational drug design; molecular modelling; quantitative structure-activity relationships; the emerging role of combinatorial chemistry; peptide-based drug design; recombinant proteins as drugs; novel delivery systems; in-vitro and in-vivo assays; high throughput assays; and the impact of molecular biology on drug discovery. In the practicals, students will develop skills in the use of computer-aided molecular modelling to understand drug and receptor structure and how this knowledge can be applied to the design of new drugs, and examine case studies of modern drug discovery. Students will be encouraged to integrate knowledge from different parts of the subject, reinforcing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the discovery and development of new drugs.

Students will gain skills in:

• making use of information technology resources in knowledge building and data presentation;

• participating effectively in group work; and

• organising information into a clear report.

Ongoing assessment of practical work during the semester (25%); a 2-hour written examination in the examination period (75%).