SMPS20001U Biopharmaceuticals: Design and Modification of Biomacromolecules

Volume 2021/2022
Education

MSc Programme in Medicinal Chemistry - compulsory

MSc Programme in Pharmacy (Danish programme cand.pharm) - elective

MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Danish programme cand.scient.pharm) - restricted elective

MSc Programme in Pharmaceutical Sciences (English programme) - restricted elective

 

Content

Besides an introduction to the concepts and methods that are relevant for investigating and understanding the physicochemical and pharmacological properties of macromolecules the course focuses on the design, discovery and applicability of biopharmaceutical drugs, primarily those based on peptides or proteins.

Furthermore, this course will form the basis for studies on optimization of pharmaceutical properties of peptides, proteins and nucleic acids in relation to preclinial and clinical drug development. Finally, drug leads derived from these classes of macromolecules (e.g. peptidomimetics a oligonucleotide analogues) will be discussed.

These subjects will be introduced via lectures (based on book chapters and comprehensive reviews and articles), while the class sessions will comprise student presentations and discussion of selected scientific articles in order to facilitate an in-depth understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of biopharmaceutical drug research. In addition, some class sessions will comprise theoretical execises on the basic elements of the course (e.g. peptide synthesis and protein modification). Also, the course comprises three practical exercises in a chemical synthesis lab. These exercises illustrate basic solid-phase peptide synthesis methodology and protein modification. For each excercise a laboratory notebook should be kept in order to facilitate writing of mandatory reports, which also include answering specific questions and interpretation of analytical results (LC-MS, MALDI, and ELISA).


The most relevant compound classes and their applications are briefly outlined below:

  • Peptide- and protein-based drugs, inculding modified peptide and proteins (primary content of the course).
  • Introduction to antibodies and therapeutic relevance.
  • Introduction to oligonucleotides for gene therapy and antisense siRNA as putative biopharmaceutical drugs.
  • Introduction to vaccines.

 


Methods and concepts:

  • Importance of structure for pharmacological activity and suitable drug properties: charge, solubility, stability and delivery. 
  • Primary sequence and folding into secondary and tertiary structures and methods for manipulating these.
  • Principles of solid-phase peptide synthesis (incl. combinatorial and parallel approaches) and optimization. Advanced peptide chemistry including selection of linkers, coupling reagents and protecting groups.
  • Protein biosynthesis and modification: post-translational and chemical transformations.
  • Genetic and protein engineering as a discovery and production tool for biological protein and peptide expression and modification.
  • Practical manual solid-phase peptide synthesis and simple modification of proteins.
  • Chemical protein synthesis and semisynthesis  
Learning Outcome

The purpose of this course is to provide students with theoretical knowledge on biopharmaceutical drug discovery as a central part of contemporary and future interdisciplinary drug discovery efforts in academia as well as in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. The focus will primarily be on peptides and proteins as they currently constitute the most important class of biopharmaceuticals.
An additional aim is to introduce students to methodologies related to chemical synthesis, biological expression, and modification of biopharmaceuticals with a focus on their applications in drug discovery and development.

At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:

Knowledge

  • comprehend the steps involved in biopharmaceutical drug discovery
  • understand aspects of chemical peptide synthesis relevant for biopharmaceutical drug discovery
  • understand post-translational peptide/protein modifications
  • understand methods used in chemical peptide and protein modification
  • understand the concept of unnatural amino acid mutagenesis
  • appreciate of the potential of novel types of biopharmaceuticals (e.g. nucleic acids and analogs thereof) in sufficient detail to follow future scientific developments

 

Skills

  • search and read relevant literature and use this knowledge in biopharmaceutical research projects.
  • perform simple solid-phase peptide synthesis and protein modification

 

Competences

  • read and discuss research examples concerning optimization of biologically active peptide drug leads with respect to pharmacological properties including bioavailability and in vitro cytotoxicity
  • apply basic theory of peptide optimization and protein engineering/​​expression related to practical development of biopharmaceuticals

 

Selected book chapters:

Peptide Synthesis and Applications, K. J. Jensen, A. P. Tofteng, S. L. Pedersen (Eds), Springer Protocols, Humana Press, 2013.

Peptide-based Drug Discovery: Challenges and New Therapeutics, Ved Srivastava (Ed), Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing, 2017.

 

Supplementary reviews and research papers covering the following topics:

Examples of subclasses of potential drug leads (peptides, peptidomimetics and proteins), known biopharmaceuticals (e.g. peptide hormones, cytokines, antibodies, nucleic acids and analogues thereof.

All teaching materials besides the textbooks will be available via the course homepage or as handout material.

Basic knowledge in organic and bioorganic chemistry and molecular biology is a prerequisite.
Lectures: 21
Class sessions: 12
Writing of individual study report (ca. 40 hours during last 3 weeks)
Practical exercises (15 hours in lab)
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 21
  • Class Instruction
  • 8
  • Preparation
  • 93
  • Theory exercises
  • 4
  • Laboratory
  • 15
  • Project work
  • 40
  • Exam
  • 25
  • Total
  • 206
Written

Throughout the duration of the course period, students will be given the opportunity to answer multiple choice questions online, to which the answers are provided subsequently. This will provide them with an idea of their level of understanding of the taught curriculum.  

Credit
2,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Course participation
Written assignment
Course certificate: The students work in groups of 3-4 persons preparing a joint lab journal and report on the performed experiments including answering of the associated questions.
Aid
All aids allowed

The lab teachers may be approached for guidance in answering the associated questions.

Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

No re-exam available.

Criteria for exam assesment

To obtain a course certificatethe student must be able to:

Knowledge:

  • show that the basic concepts have been understood through answering  the associated questions.
  • show that the basic concepts have been understood.
  • a theoretical background to understand synthesis descriptions of simple chemical reactions involving peptides relevant as biopharmaceuticals.

 

Skills:

  • carry out the laboratory work to satisfaction.
  • perform experiments with acceptable results and described in a scientific way, so that the synthesis and analysis excercises may be repeated.
  • performing simple syntheses and analysis of peptides.

 

Competences:

  • write a report in a scientific language how exsperimental work has been performed.
Credit
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Individual written assignment (essay) in the format of a scientific minireview (size: min 15.000 and max. 20.000 characters including spaces; supporting figures allowed) based on literature studies on a subject agreed upon with one of the teachers and approved with the course directors. The essay must relate to a substantial content of chemistry as well as a biology/​​biopharmaceutical aspect. The student will have 3 weeks to prepare this.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the grade 12 the student must be able to:

Knowledge

  • comprehend the steps involved in biopharmaceutical drug discovery
  • understand aspects of chemical peptide synthesis relevant for biopharmaceutical drug discovery
  • understand post-translational peptide/protein modifications
  • understand methods used in chemical protein modification
  • understand the concept of unnatural mutagenesis
  • appreciate the potential of novel types of biopharmaceuticals based on nucleic acids (and analogs thereof) in sufficient detail to follow future scientific developments in this field

 

Skills

  • devise chemical synthesis of relevant peptides and modification of protein drugs 
  • search and read relevant literature and use this knowledge in biopharmaceutical research projects.
  • discuss and illustrate how a specific type of biopharmaceuticals may be discovered via synthesis/expression of leads that undergo optimization using appropriate methodologies.

 

Competences

  • read and discuss research examples concerning optimization of biologically active peptide drug leads with respect to pharmacological properties including bioavailability and in vitro cytotoxicity
  • apply basic theory of peptide optimization and protein engineering/​​expression related to practical development of biopharmaceuticals