Course Description
The introduction to medicinal chemistry course introduces students to the process of drug discovery through an interdisciplinary look at the challenges faced in getting a small-molecule drug to market. After completing the introduction to drug discovery, students will learn about the medicinal chemistry of past, current, and future drug treatments. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CHE 351 and CHE 352.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- Understand the general process of drug discovery. Why is the process so expensive and difficult?
- Be aware of major types of drug targets in the following areas: antibiotics, antivirals, anti-diabetes, oncology, anesthetics, etc.
- Understand basic drug metabolism. Be able to recognize potential metabolic sites. Be able to suggest structural modifications to overcome metabolic liabilities.
- Understand the basic challenges posed by pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics issues in the design of successful drugs.
- Appreciate the challenges faced by process chemists in the scale-up of lead compounds. Be aware of common problems and cost issues encountered during the scale-up process.
- Given appropriate information, be able to apply Topliss schemes and Craig Plots in the design of new drug analogs. (likely not covered in 2025)
- Be able to predict possible binding interactions and binding modes given a drug molecule’s structure and information about its target.
- Be able to describe the application of basic tools used in medicinal chemistry. Tools include combinatorial chemistry, structure-based drug design (SBDD), fragment-based drug design (FBDD), quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR).
- Understand the basic design of commercial vaccines. Be able to explain the evolution of vaccine design from the late 1880’s until the present. Why have we not produced vaccines for HIV and malaria? Can we make future anti-cancer vaccines?
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Twelve Homework Assignments (Due dates: TBA) | 30% |
| Review Paper [This paper has seven components. Due dates are: TBA. Topic, Introduction, Reference List, Introduction (first 2 to 3 pages), Rough Draft, Peer Review, Final Draft.] | 50% |
| In class assignments. Participation, journal, reading assignment(s), presentation(s), class project(s), etc. | 20% |
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90-100% | A |
| 89% | A- |
| 87-89% | B+ |
| 80-86% | B |
| 79% | B- |
| 77-78% | C+ |
| 70-76% | C |
| 69% | C- |
| 63-68% | D |
| 60-62% | D– |
| < 60% | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Attendance will not be taken for this course.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
- G. Patrick. An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (7th ed, 2023) (print or electronic ~ $ 70)
- Jerome Groopman. How Doctors Think. (any format you like, cost varies)
- Ricardo Nuila. The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine (any format you like, cost varies)
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.