PHA3042 · Modern drug development

Overview

Modern drug development will provide you with an appreciation of the process of discovery, testing, approval and marketing of new drugs. This will include the diseases most likely to be targeted by pharmaceutical companies for drug development; the technical issues underlying drug discovery; the approaches to identify and validate novel targets; rational drug design; the importance of screens including molecular models and high throughput screening; disease models; case studies illustrating the successful development of drugs; future therapeutic directions. Career opportunities in all aspects of drug development will be highlighted.

Areas of study: Pharmacology

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Discuss the steps involved in the drug discovery process, including sources of drugs, how targets are identified and screening processes that can be used to test for desired activity;
2. Discuss the steps involved in developing a commercial product from a potential drug candidate, including the relevant regulatory framework and marketing considerations;
3. Critically evaluate methodologies and data from experiments in the context of the drug development process;
4. Obtain, present and interpret data from pharmacological experiments relevant to the area of drug development;
5. Source, integrate and critically evaluate the scientific literature to address an issue in the area of drug development and to communicate this orally, in written form or via a poster presentation;
6. Demonstrate effective teamwork skills in the completion of in-class and project activities.

Workload

• Up to 12 hours per week consisting of: • 6 hours of directed learning including online activities, lectures, laboratories or workshop activities and • 6 hours of self-directed study

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.