Training Courses

Introduction: Overview of drug discovery process, target selection in the post-genomic era

Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, definitions, QSAR studies, drug receptors, physico-chemical properties

Physico-chemical properties of drugs, and implications for Absorption

Lead generation approaches

Lead generation using computational techniques: molecular recognition, structure- and ligand-based virtual screening, success stories

Molecular diversity and combinatorial design

Pharmacokinetics and ADME, with examples

Introduction to Lead Optimisation, Case Studies

Overview of some of the reasons for project failure, of Safety, in particular to its relationship to chemical structure and of critical issues in Drug Development

Intellectual property issues related to drug discovery

What happens next? – a (very) brief overview of process development issues

This course in medicinal chemistry sets out to train organic chemists to understand the key factors in discovering a new drug substance, from target selection, through lead generation and lead optimisation, to the selection of a development candidate.  The course will cover aspects of the drug discovery process such as structure activity relationships, the use of computational chemistry in drug discovery, ADME and safety issues.

• An understanding of how biological disease targets are selected
• An insight into the terms, definitions and analysis methods used by medicinal chemists in the pharmaceutical industry
• An introductory knowledge of the Pharmacokinetics and ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion) and how physicochemical properties influence absorption
• An introduction to the use of computational chemistry including pharmacophore generation, virtual screening and library design
• An overview of safety assessment and of chemical structure and safety

• Young Chemists who have just started in industry as medicinal chemists
• Experienced medicinal chemists who wish to gain additional knowledge on how to obtain compounds with optimal drug-like properties and get up to date with the latest thinking
• Chemists from other areas of Research and Development who would like to gain an appreciation of the processes and drivers involved in drug discovery
• Students who are planning a career in industry and can obtain company sponsorship

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