Modern Drug Discovery Fundamentals module (BS32042)

Learn about the drug discovery process. You will cover topics like target identification, pharmacokinetics, and structure-activity relationships

Credits
20
Module code
BS32042
Level
3
Semester
Semester 2
School
School of Life Sciences
Discipline
Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery

​​You will learn about the processes and principles that go into the development of new therapeutic agents. 

​You will study topics like: 

  • ​target product profiles 
  • ​different drug modalities 
  • ​enzyme and receptor pharmacology 
  • ​structure-activity relationships 
  • ​the physicochemical properties that affect how drugs behave in the body 

​On the module, you will use both computational and experimental approaches. These will include in silico drug design and in vitro assay development. This reflects how chemistry and biology work together in real drug discovery programmes. 

​What you will learn 

​In this module, you will: 

  • ​explore the stages of the drug development process. This ranges from target identification through to pre-clinical trials 
  • ​study structure-activity relationships, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) 
  • ​develop skills in accessing and interpreting biological databases and scientific literature 

​By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

  • ​construct a detailed understanding of the drug development process and its component steps 
  • ​apply chemistry principles to the design and evaluation of drug candidates 
  • ​use computational tools and databases to support drug design and data analysis​

Assignments / assessment

  • ​​Problem-based written exam (80%) 
  • ​Workshop-based report (20%)​

Teaching methods / timetable

  • ​​lectures 
  • ​workshops and tutorials 
  • ​online exercises and self-directed study​

Courses

This module is available on the following courses: