CHEM 735 : Advanced Medicinal Chemistry

Science

2020 Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

A selection of topics dealing with aspects of medicinal chemistry, including anticancer agents, metals in medicine, antibacterial and antiviral chemotherapy, contemporary topics in medicinal and/or bio-organic chemistry.

Course Overview

In this course you will cover topics in modern medicinal chemistry. The course content will be delivered in two lecture blocks. In the first block you will be introduced to the chemotherapy of psychiatry, focusing on antidepressants, anxiolytic agents, mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. The second block will cover antibacterials and antivirals.
In final part of the course, you will deliver a presentation on an approved pharmaceutical, covering its whole life cycle from the initial pre-clinical studies, all the way through to its approval and current status. 

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand the causes of depression, anxiety, bipolar and psychotic disorders (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  2. Understand why distinct treatments are used for each psychiatric illnesses (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  3. Describe how modern antidepressants work, and why they are safer than older versions (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  4. Explain explain the discovery of benzodiazepines (valium) (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  5. Explain the discovery of antipsychotics and how they propelled deinstitutionalisation (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  6. Explain the treatment of bacterial and viral infections using chemotherapeutic agents from a chemistry perspective (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  7. Understand relevant background information on bacteria (discovery, pathogenic/ non-pathogenic; Gram positive/Gram negative; basic bacterial structure) (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  8. Understand different types of antibacterial agents, as well as their distinct modes of action (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  9. Evaluate Influenza and treatments; HIV and treatments; Nucleoside Analogues as Antiviral Agents (Capability 1, 2 and 3)
  10. Communicate the drug discovery progress of a wide range of different approved drugs through the student seminar presentations (Capability 4, 5 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Test 35% Individual Test
Test 35% Individual Test
Presentation 30% Group Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Test
Test
Presentation
TWO in-course tests are worth 70% (2 x 35%) towards the final grade of this course. Each test will be 1 hour in duration.
There will be ONE in course seminar presentation worth 30% towards the final grade for this course. This will be performed in pairs or groups of 3. Students must attend all seminars and all members of the School will be invited to attend.

Tuākana

Tuakana assistance  is available if required through the course coordinator. 

Key Topics

Antidepressants, anxiolytics, mood stabilisers, anti-psychotics, investigative drugs for treatment of psychiatric disorders and new approvals. Viral/bacterial cycles, Anti-virals, antibacterial agents, distinct targets associated with these drugs.

Learning Resources

Relevant resources in electronic format, including announcements, lecture notes and tutorial material will be available through the Canvas platform, as are your marks when available. Other assistance / student support is available if required through the course coordinator. Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face and/or in written form with the course coordinator.

Special Requirements

Students must attend all student seminar presentations

To pass CHEM 735, students must pass all three assessments (two tests + seminar) separately

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 16 hours of lectures, two one-hour tutorials and 80 hours of work on seminar and test preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.

You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

During the course Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the staff responsible for the course and staff-student consultative committees.

At the end of the course students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback.

Your feedback helps to improve the course and its delivery for all students.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 11/01/2020 02:51 p.m.