BPS2022 Drug discovery and design

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. 1

   Demonstrate an understanding of different processes by which bioactive molecules can be identified, such as the screening of compound libraries, natural products and modifications of endogenous biomolecules, amongst others.

2. 2

   Utilise different computational techniques to aid the design of small molecules with good affinity for biomolecular targets.

3. 3

   Propose modifications to hit molecules necessary to map their structure-activity relationship (SAR). Utilise SAR maps in hit-to-lead and lead-to-drug optimisation.

4. 4

   Design a series of assays (assay cascade) necessary for the optimisation of hit molecules into safe, efficacious drug molecules.

5. 5

   Critically evaluate different drug discovery approaches and identify the most suitable approach for a particular situation.