SNEU20006U Drug discovery and development in Neuroscience
MSc in Neuroscience - elective course
In this course, the students will be introduced to drug discovery strategies in neuroscience and be presented with examples of failures and successes. While the unmet need for novel treatment in neurological and psychiatric diseases are evident, innovative drug discovery in neuroscience has not been successful over the last decades. The objective is to introduce to target identification, target validation, and various challenges in small molecule drug discovery and biological drugs. Special focus will be on developing novel drugs able to enter the brain.
Students will participate in lectures, small practical sessions and face to face supervision, and discuss drug discovery strategies. Fundamental knowledge in neuropharmacology will be presented, as well as different stages in drug discovery and development. The various models of brain disorders and their application in drug discovery will be presented. Principles of clinical neuropharmacology will be covered.
After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:
Knowledge
Demonstrate knowledge about:
- Various aspects of drug discovery processes
- Drug development processes in CNS diseases
- Drug target, target validation and proof of principle
- Various drug classes
- Demonstrate understanding of the major unmet medical needs in neurology and psychiatry
- Understand the unmet medical need for treatment of CNS disorders
- Biomarkers
Skills
- Describe drug discovery and development phases
- Combine knowledge in neuroscience with drug discovery
- Define and describe biomarkers
Competences
- Provide target validation of novel and known drug targets
- Independently evaluate novel drug candidates
- Work independently as well as in teams
- Systematically and independently be critical to literature in neuroscience, including press releases and other commercial sources
- Evaluate commercial values of drug discovery (and development) projects
- Design proof of concept studies
See Absalon
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 46
- Preparation
- 130
- Exercises
- 30
- Total
- 206
Open for credit transfer students. Apply for acceptance as a credit transfer student at SUND
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Oral examination, 20 minutes under invigilation
- Type of assessment details
- Presentation by student (10 minutes) followed by a discussion
(10 minutes)
Without preparation. - Exam registration requirements
None
- Aid
- Without aids
- Marking scale
- passed/not passed
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
Internal examiners
Criteria for exam assesment
To achieve the grade Passed, the student must adequately be able to:
Knowledge
Demonstrate knowledge about:
- Various aspects of drug discovery processes
- Drug development processes in CNS diseases
- Drug target, target validation and proof of principle
- Various drug classes
- Demonstrate understanding of the major unmet medical needs in neurology and psychiatry
- Understand the unmet medical need for treatment of CNS disorders
- Biomarkers
Skills
- Describe drug discovery and development phases
- Combine knowledge in neuroscience with drug discovery
- Define and describe biomarkers
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- SNEU20006U
- Credit
- 7,5 ECTS
- Level
- Full Degree Master
- Duration
- 1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedule
- See Time Table
- Course capacity
- 20
Study board
- Study Board for Human Biology, Immunology and Neuroscience
Contracting department
- Department of Neuroscience
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Jens Holm Mikkelsen (jens.mikkelsen@sund.ku.dk)