Drug targets, drug lead design and discovery including computer-aided molecular modelling, key functional groups necessary for drug action, metabolism, stereochemistry and selected drug classes in medicinal chemistry.
PSCI302 builds on pharmaceutical chemistry with a focus on medicinal chemistry topics. Students will investigate the concepts of drug targets of small molecule drugs, drug design and discovery including computer-aided modelling and design, key functional groups necessary for drug action, testing of drug leads, optimisation of drug leads, metabolism, stereochemistry and selected drug classes in medicinal chemistry.
| Paper title | Medicinal Chemistry |
|---|---|
| Paper code | PSCI302 |
| Subject | Pharmaceutical Science |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $1,141.35 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- PSCI 201 or CHEM 202
- Restriction
- PHCY 258, CHEM 305
- Eligibility
PSCI302 builds on the principles of pharmaceutical chemistry (PSCI201 or CHEM202) with a focus on drug design and discovery. The paper provides a strong base for further study in medicinal chemistry and can complement BSc degrees with a chemistry, pharmacology, biochemistry or biology focus.
- Contact
- More information link
- Teaching staff
Paper Co-ordinator: Professor Joel Tyndall
Teaching Staff: Dr Sumit Dadhwal
- Paper Structure
PSCI302 will be taught through lectures, laboratories and tutorials covering the following general topics,
- Small molecule drug targets.
- Drug-protein interactions.
- Chemical principles of drug design and discovery.
- Assays and screening.
- Computational methods for drug design.
- Commercialisation.
- Case studies.
- Textbooks
Recommended: Patrick, G. L. (2017) An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, 6th Ed, Oxford University Press.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.- Learning Outcomes
By completion of this paper students will be able to,
- Describe how small molecule drugs interact with different biological targets in the context of the human body.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the identification and development of drug leads.
- Operate computational modelling techniques.
- Demonstrate laboratory skills relevant to medicinal pharmaceutical chemistry, including synthesis, characterisation and measurement and analysis of drug activity.
- Evaluates and applies scientific literature.
- Exhibit high level communication skills for a scientific audience.
