Keele Badge

CHE-20081 - Module Specification
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 19 January 2023

CHE-20081 - Principles of Drug Design
Coordinator: Tess Phillips Room: LJ1.46 Tel: +44 1782 7 33038
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734921

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None


Description for 2022/23

This is a core module for the medicinal chemistry degree programmes at Keele, focussing on understanding the interaction of small molecules with biological targets in the body and applying this to the design of drug molecules. Topics are presented with extensive use of case studies and illustrative examples. A series of interactive workshops and exercises are used to build upon the taught material using on-line resources such as the protein data bank and docking software to give real-world examples. The module cumulates in a drug design exercise, in which teams of students undertake a simulated drug discovery programme, taking a molecule through iterative rounds of optimisation.

Aims
To develop an understanding of the fundamental principles used in medicinal chemistry to provide a deeper insight into the design and mode of action of medicines.
To develop digital skills in using professional databases and software appropriate to medicinal chemistry
To develop problem solving and scientific presentation skills.
To emphasise that medicinal chemistry builds upon core topics in organic, physical and inorganic chemistry.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/che-20081/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

interpret the molecular structure of biological macromolecules in terms of their construction from biological building blocks (amino acids, peptides and proteins and DNA): 1
2
apply the mechanisms and characteristics of the pharmacokinetic concepts of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion to explain the properties of drug molecules: 1,2
employ individual and collaborative skills to create, interpret and present data from a range of sources including online databases and predictive software: 2
recognise the stages involved in the development of new medicines and interpret this in the analysis of case studies that illustrate the drug discovery process: 1,2
identify likely intermolecular interactions between ligands and biomolecules and apply this to the design of drug molecules with structure-activity relationships:

Study hours

Taught content: 24 hours
PC lab sessions: 6 hours
Drug design exercise: 6 hours
Independent study and coursework preparation: 114 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Assignment weighted 40%
Drug Interactions Assignment
A individual write-up of a series of tasks to visualise and interpret the interactions of drugs with their biological targets using a range of professional scientific software programmes/databases. Equivalent to approx 2000 words.

2: Exercise weighted 60%
Drug Design Exercise
An individual write-up of a collaborative teamwork exercise including scientific presentation, interpretation of data and critical analysis. Equivalent to approx 3000 words.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 19 January 2023