Aim
The aim of the course is to give basic knowledge in and broad understanding of medicinal chemistry and pharmacological principles from a molecular perspective.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

• be able to describe the most common ways for drug development

• be able to describe common target molecules (proteins) for drug development

• be able to define basic pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic concepts

• be able to explain how computers are used in drug development

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

• be able to discuss orally and in writing properties of drug molecules

• be able to value a given molecular structure as potential drug candidate

Contents
The course discusses general pharmacological principles and presents various classes of drugs, their effects, their use, and chemical structures. Important parts of medicinal chemistry, such as drugs of the nerve system, hormone drugs, drugs affecting the heart, respiratory drugs, anaesthetics, sedative drugs, antivirals, antibiotics, and cancer drugs. Methods for searching novel drug candidates (drug development), development of computer models for prediction of various pharmacological properties, and structure-activity relationships are discussed.

Literature
Graham L P: An introduction to Medicinal Chemistry. Oxford University Press, 3rd edition, 2005. ISBN: 0-19-927500-9.