PHARM 3102 - Drug Discovery & Development

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

This course will provide students with a fundamental knowledge of drug discovery and development from both a preclinical and clinical perspective. This includes approaches to sourcing and developing new drugs, from natural sources through to rational drug design, as well as approaches to testing drug efficacy and safety in both preclinical phases and in clinical trials. Additional topics in commercialisation provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of drug discovery and development, from bench to bedside.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 3102
Course	Drug Discovery & Development
Coordinating Unit	Medical Studies
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	PHARM 3103
Assessment	Students will complete online quizzes, 2 mid-semester tests (one online), participate in tutorials and engage in workshops. There will be an end of course closed-book examination.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Scott Smid

Dr Scott Smid
Dr Ian Musgrave
Professor Sepehr Shakib
Professor Andrew Somogyi
Dr Janet Coller
Associate Professor Betty Sallustio

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

A full course timetable can be accessed on MyUni.

Course Learning Outcomes

Compare and understand common natural sources of drugs and contemporary approaches to drug design and development
Demonstrate an understanding of the timelines and resources required to discover and develop new drugs in a preclinical setting
Demonstrate an understanding of the critical features of each stage of the preclinical drug development process
Utilise in silico approaches to critically evaluate the pharmacophore for ligand-protein binding
Work in small groups to design a novel drug binding to a protein target at a molecular level
Demonstrate an understanding of the environment and drivers of drug discovery and commercialisation of research

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,2,6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	4-6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-6
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

No specific textbook required. Students will access a variety of supplemental and online resources

Recommended Resources

Supplemental textbooks to be made available within BSL:

Preclinical Development Handbook, Shayne Cox Gad (Editor). ISBN: 978-0-471-21383-3
Textbook of Drug Design and Discovery. CRC Press. ISBN 9781420063226.

Online Learning

The primary means of communication outside of the formal contact hours will be via Canvas. Announcements will be used as the main method of communicating with the student cohort. Course material will be supported by online resources, with lecture recordings, tutorial materials and on-line quizzes via Canvas. Material will be sequentially released in line with the teaching and learning activities in each week.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Lectures will be supported by problem-solving tutorials to reinforce and further expand or develop material covered in lectures. Case study or modelling projects are undertaken in workshops and are in small group format supported by nominated project supervisors.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Students are reminded that the overall workload for a full time student as stated in the University of Adelaide Calendar is an average of 48 hours per week per teaching period (i.e. semester). This includes contact and non-contact hours and includes general study and research time for assignments. This course is a 3 unit course and thus represents quarter of a full time load. You should thus be putting in an average of 12 hours of study each week (including contact hours) for this course.

Learning Activities Summary

Overview to drug discovery and preclinical development: small molecule and biologics
Conventional and historical approaches to drug discovery
Basic and applied pharmacokinetic concepts in drug development
Biotransformation: implications for drug development
Pharmacogenomic considerations in drug development
Drug discovery: Identifying drug targets
Sources for drug discovery: Bioprospecting
Medicinal chemistry concepts in drug development
Preclinical drug screening; In vitro models
Preclinical drug screening: In vivo models
Assessment of toxicology in preclinical drug development:
Commercialisation approaches: academic and industry perspectives

Specific Course Requirements

N/A

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Online quizzes, tutorial and workshop participation, summative tests, molecular modelling and development project and final exam

Assessment Related Requirements

N/A

Assessment Detail

Test 1: MCQ and short answer test on all lecture and tutorial content weeks 1-7 inclusive, undertaken in week 8. 15% weighting

Test 2: Written MCQ test on all lecture and tutorial content weeks 8-11 inclusive, undertaken in week 12. 5% weighting

Project: Students work in small groups to write a report on an assigned drug and molecular target. Students provide a written report on completion and group presentation. 30% weighting.

Examination. A 2 hour exam to be held at the end of semester. 50% weighting.

Submission

No information currently available.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator