SL50204: Drug discovery: from target to medicine
[Page last updated: 15 August 2024]
| Academic Year: | 2024/25 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Life Sciences |
| Credits: | 15 [equivalent to 30 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 300 |
| Level: | Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
- Academic Year
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| Assessment Summary: | CWPF 60%, CWRG 40% |
| Assessment Detail: |
- Written portfolio on drug discovery (CWPF 60%)
- Virtual drug discovery exercise (CWRG 40%)
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
- Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
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| Requisites: |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
After studying this unit, students should be able to:
- Distinguish the different phases of drug discovery and discuss the issues to be considered prior to launching a drug discovery programme
- Critically discuss methodologies, models and techniques used in the identification and validation of a drug target, and the discovery of therapeutics
- Evaluate the drug discovery approaches used in a range of therapeutic areas
- Critically interpret drug discovery data
- Search, evaluate and use the published scientific literature to inform and justify arguments in a drug discovery context
- Develop and work inclusively in a multidisciplinary team. Communicate scientific information and ideas clearly, accurately, and effectively.
- Design new hit-to-lead compounds to answer a scientific question
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| Synopsis: | You will study the fundamentals of drug discovery science (biology- and chemistry-focussed) and the pre-clinical drug discovery process from target validation to candidate therapeutic. Course material will include methodologies, techniques, types of therapeutic and basic ADME. You will put your knowledge into practice in a classroom virtual drug discovery exercise where you will work in teams to design & develop a novel small-molecule inhibitor, drawing on a portfolio of bespoke scientific data.
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| Aims: | To provide an overview of the process of drug discovery and development, providing core knowledge of the techniques and considerations involved in the identification and validation of a drug target, the discovery and optimisation of small molecule drugs and biological therapeutics, drug delivery technology and the translation of a drug into a medicine.
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| Content: | - Core biology- and chemistry-focussed science underpinning drug discovery
- Historical overview of the approaches to drug discovery
- Strategic, scientific and operational issues to be considered prior to launching a drug discovery programme
- Target identification and validation
- Different therapeutic modalities (eg small molecules, oligonucleotides, peptides, therapeutic proteins, PROTACs) and the methodologies used in the discovery of new therapeutics
- Overview of a range of therapeutic areas, models used and examples of drug discovery in these areas
- Pre-clinical drug pharmacokinetics and ADME
- Team-based virtual drug discovery exercise
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| Course availability: |
SL50204 is Optional (DEU) on the following courses:
Department of Life Sciences
- RSSL-AFM30 : Integrated PhD Biotechnology (Healthcare Technologies)
- TSSL-AFM30 : MSc Biotechnology (Healthcare Technologies)
- TSSL-AWM30 : MSc Biotechnology (Healthcare Technologies)
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Notes: - This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
- Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
- Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
- Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.
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