SLKKIL110U Advances in Medicinal Chemistry Research
MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (English programme) study track I - compulsory
MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (English programme) study track II and III - restricted elective
MSc Programme in Pharmacy (Danish programme cand.pharm) - elective
MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Danish programme cand.scient.pharm) - restricted elective
MSc Programme in Medicinal Chemistry - elective
The course will be based on 3-4 major themes covering the objectives of the course. Hence, all subjects will be introduced in a theme driven interdisciplinary fashion. The themes will be illustrated by original scientific reports and may cover:
- Target classes: receptors, transporters, enzymes, regulatory proteins
- Target-ligand interactions
- Structure – activity relationship (SAR) studies
- Structure and ligand based drug design
- Point of action and the prodrug concept
- Peptidomimetics and protein based drugs
- Drugability of lead compounds
- Experimental methods in biological and biostructural chemistry
- Basic and advanced medicinal chemistry concepts
- 3D modeling of protein structure and ligand docking
As the course aims to highlight recent cutting edge research in medicinal/biostructural chemistry, themes vary but may cover: hypnotics, psychotropic drugs, immunomodulating agents, antiviral agents, neurotransmitters, chemotherapeutics, antineoplastics, drugs against neurodegenerative diseases and schizophrenia. During the course the students will cover three themes in groups of 4-5 persons. for each theme the groups will carry out literature search, write up a report and prepare a poster for oral presentation.
The original literature plays a pivotal role in the discovery of new drugs. In order to contribute to the process it is necessary to comprehend and to be able to communicate the content of primary research papers to others. The literature is the primary source of information in all steps of the drug discovery process including:
- Biology of targets
- Identification of interfering agents (drug candidates).
- Optimization of interfering agents.
Importantly, the course aims at providing knowledge about the
above-mentioned individual steps, while ensuring that the students
do not consider each process isolated from the others. Hence, the
students will have a collected understanding of
biostructural/medicinal chemical aspects. Earlier courses provide
in-depth insight to isolated techniques/theory. Rather, at this
later time-point in the student’s education, an integrated view is
acquired.
Drugs interfere with complex biological systems. In order to design
targeted and specific drugs it is necessary to understand the
system they interact with. Researchers will need to be able to
quickly understand new techniques for the identification and
optimization of biologics and small molecule compounds. The course
objective is to train the students in acquiring the above-mentioned
skills. They will work with original literature concerning
particular indications. The indications may vary, and can include:
cancer, diseases of the central nervous system, viral infections,
neurodegenerative diseases, amyloid diseases.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge
- understand that particular cellular processes at the molecular level may lead to disease
- understand the content of original literature describing complex biological systems of relevance in drug research
- understand how the 3-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules plays a role for understanding the molecular basis of particular diseases, and for intervening with the disease progress
- understand the content of original literature describing the identification and optimization of small molecule compounds that can interfere with complex biological systems
- understand the content of original literature describing the impact of interfering with protein-protein interactions using designed biological macromolecules (biologics)
- understand how medicinal chemistry is an interdisciplinary field, building on basic scientific understanding of molecular and biological processes, exploiting detailed structural information and applying advanced chemistry for purposeful intervention
Skills
- choose experimental techniques and methods for use in the different stages in medicinal chemistry research
- compare and assess results obtained using different techniques and methods in medicinal chemistry research
- critically assess potentially conflicting reports in original literature
- select essential literature for a specific topic
- compare and assess the quality of 3D structural knowledge based on either experimental data or homology models
Competences
- collaborate and coordinate projects together with other professionals with expertise in medicinal chemistry related areas
- extract relevant and detailed information concerning a particular drug target from 3-D structural data files
- disseminate knowledge from the literature in a comparative and critical fashion
- translate relevant information from the basic understanding of the cellular biology behind diseases, via a molecular understanding of the relevant targets, to the relevance of chemical optimization of lead molecules for intervention.
Reviews and original scientific papers available at the course website.
•Class lessons: 17
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 26
- Preparation
- 91,5
- Project work
- 88
- Exam
- 0,5
- Total
- 206,0
Open for credit transfer students and other external students. Apply here:
Credit transfer students:
Credit transfer student at SUND – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)
Other external students:
https://healthsciences.ku.dk/education/student-mobility/guest-students/
Credit transfer and other external students are welcomed on the course if there are seats available and they have the academic qualifications.
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 25 min
- Type of assessment details
- The oral examination consists of a 20 min. student presentation
and questioning by examiner followed by 5 min. evaluation. The exam
is without preparation time.
Examination is based on a poster presentation, submitted by the student. - Aid
- Without aids
- Marking scale
- passed/not passed
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Criteria for exam assesment
To achieve the grade Passed, the student must adequately be able to:
Knowledge
- understand that particular cellular processes at the molecular level may lead to disease
- understand the content of original literature describing complex biological systems of relevance in drug research
- understand how the 3-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules plays a role for understanding the molecular basis of particular diseases, and for intervening with the disease progress
- understand the content of original literature describing the identification and optimization of small molecule compounds that can interfere with complex biological systems
- understand the content of original literature describing the impact of interfering with protein-protein interactions using designed biological macromolecules (biologics)
- understand how medicinal chemistry is an interdisciplinary field, building on basic scientific understanding of molecular and biological processes, exploiting detailed structural information and applying advanced chemistry for purposeful intervention
Skills
- submit three written reports to a satisfactory level
- participate in oral presentations of the subjects, that are based on poster presentations.
- choose experimental techniques and methods for use in the different stages in medicinal chemistry research
- compare and assess results obtained using different techniques and methods in medicinal chemistry research
- critically assess potentially conflicting reports in original literature
- select essential literature for a specific topic
- compare and assess the quality of 3D structural knowledge based on either experimental data or homology models
Competences
- collaborate and coordinate projects together with other professionals with expertise in medicinal chemistry related areas
- extract relevant and detailed information concerning a particular drug target from 3-D structural data files
- disseminate knowledge from the literature in a comparative and critical fashion
- translate relevant information from the basic understanding of the cellular biology behind diseases, via a molecular understanding of the relevant targets, to the relevance of chemical optimization of lead molecules for intervention.
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- SLKKIL110U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 block
- Placement
- Block 4
- Schedule
- A
- Course capacity
- 30 students (20 seats reserved to students at the MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences).
Study board
- Study Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Contracting department
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Bente Frølund (3-666a764477797268326f7932686f)