This is an introduction to the pharmaceutical development process, including design of new drugs, synthesis and manufacturing issues, and methods for delivery into the body.
Prerequisites: CHEM 3511 or CHEM 4511
Credit Hours: 3
Average GPA: 2.99
This course introduces students to the drug design, development, and delivery process in the context of generating pharmaceutical therapies. The class is divided into modules covering the principles of drug discovery and design, the pharmaceutical manufacturing processes of different kinds of drugs (small molecule drugs, protein therapeutics, vaccine’s, etc), and a variety of common drug delivery methods (oral, transdermal, ocular, etc.); students spend approximately 2-3 weeks covering each of these modules. During spring break, there is typically a trip to Puerto Rico planned that involves visiting and touring multiple pharmaceutical companies in the area. Throughout the semester, there are about 4-5 homework’s, 4-5 quizzes, written reports, oral reports, and a final exam. The written and oral reports cover a case study of actual drug products that is assigned to a group of three to four students in the second half of the semester. Typically, groups for these case studies are assigned in such a way so that each group is made up of students of different majors (biomedical engineers, chemical engineers, biochemistry, chemistry, others); be prepared to work with students from all sorts of backgrounds. This course demonstrates an appreciation for critical issues, analysis performance, and quantitative calculations related to drug design. This class integrates concepts and demonstrates an appreciation for the interdependence of drug design, development, and delivery.
THE tip: Although attendance is only mandatory for the second half of the semester when case studies are being presented, attend all classes throughout the semester. All quizzes and homework’s typically take material directly discussed during class. Along with that, the final exam is solely based on all of the case studies presented; pay attention in class and take good notes about each case study.
Spend your time: Devoting time to the homeworks, final presentations, reviewing the lecture notes, and working on the case study assigned.
Take home: Understand the critical issues and topics related to drug design, drug development, and drug delivery, along with understanding the different phases and the broader implications of the pharmaceutical process. The Puerto Rico trip and the class itself also provides opportunities to network with professionals in the pharmaceutical industry. Also make sure to keep in mind the knowledge of pharmaceutical industry, and networking with industry and professors.
Recall: Biochemistry, Bioorganic/Organic Chemistry, Biotransport (specifically, diffusion phenomena). A bioorganic chemistry and transport phenomena review session may also be offered during the first two weeks of classes by the graduate TA.