Description/outline:

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the modern drug discovery pipeline, guiding you from basic research to market launch. You'll explore the science and strategies behind the search for new medicines to address unmet patient needs, covering topics such as:

Preclinical Foundations: Drug targets, molecular libraries, screening, assays, drug optimization, structure-activity relationships, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and formulation.

Stages of Discovery: An in-depth look at the drug discovery and development stages, including the tools and technologies shaping new medicine innovation.

Clinical Development: Insights into drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, safety, clinical trials, and patient-centric development.

Beyond Theory - Learn how to identify research problems, select targets, introduction to modern computational tools, and design a med-chem campaign to develop lead candidates. Hands-on experience with assays (available in Lab) and essential techniques will also be covered. 

This course is designed for aspiring young drug discovery researchers, who seek a thorough understanding of the complex processes involved in bringing new medicines to market and want to pursue similar research in industry or academia. 

Learner Outcomes:

By the end of this course, you'll gain a holistic understanding of the drug discovery pipeline, including target identification, rational design of agonists or antagonists, and will have experience of practical case study.