BS7020 Drug discovery : An odyssey from the laboratory to the market

Course Coordinator: Koh Cheng Gee (email: [email protected]) & Prakash Arumugam (email: [email protected])

Availability: Semester 1

Drug discovery is a long journey filled with a series of obstacles and challenges. In this module, experts will lecture on different stages of the drug discovery process drawing inspiration from their own research and from the literature. Topics covered include Drug screening strategies, Biomarker discovery, Computational drug design, small and large molecule drugs, peptide-based drugs, Immunotherapeutics, Pharmacodynamics, Drug formulation and Pre-clinical and Clinical Research.

The definition feature of this module is that it is research-oriented.  Lectures are delivered by a panel of experts in Singapore who will elucidate different aspects of the drug discovery process guided by their own research experiences.  Lectures will be complemented by discussion of research papers  that will be offered to students for presentation. Students will be asked to write a term paper on any aspect of drug discovery process.  This module will not only be informative but will inspire graduate students as they embark on their own  research journey

By the end of the module, the student is expected to

1. Understand the technical and non-technical  complexities involved in various stages of the drug discovery process
2. Appreciate  the wide  array of strategies and of techniques used in drug-discovery
3. Critically review  research papers in the field and communicate (both orally and written)  in a clear manner