
KE837: Hands-on approach to early-stage drug discovery
The Study Board for Science
Teaching language: English
EKA: N540048112, N540048102
Assessment: Second examiner: None, Second examiner: Internal
Grading: Pass/Fail, 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Spring
Level: Master
STADS ID (UVA): N540048101
ECTS value: 10
Date of Approval: 12-10-2022
Duration: 1 semester
Version: Archive
Comment
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree in Chemistry, Pharmacy, Biomedicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology or similar
Academic preconditions
Academic preconditions. Students taking the course are expected to:
- have passed a course in fundamental chemistry or similar.
- have passed a course in analytical chemistry (recommended).
- be able to plan work independently and therefore the students must possess some academic maturity.
Course introduction
This course is mainly an experimental course where the overall aim of the course is to go through:
- The chemistry and bioactivity of bioactive natural products (BNPs) including distribution in plants, fungi and marine organisms, chemical properties, structure-activity relationship, pharmacophores, and mechanisms of action.
- The isolation, identification, and quantification of BNPs from biological material using chromatographic, spectrometric, and spectroscopic techniques.
- In silico methods and bioassays for the evaluation of the bioactivity and mode of action of BNPs.
The course builds on the knowledge acquired in the courses KE501, KE505, KE546, KE550, KE504, KE530, and BMB504, and gives an academic basis for studying the topics chemistry, bioactivity, isolation, and structure elucidation of BNPs, which are part of the degree.
In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:
Give the competence to:
- Communicate and critically evaluate the content of scientific papers within the course topics.
- Account for selected types of in silico methods and bioassays and evaluate their applicability.
- Evaluate the properties of BNPs and their structure-activity-relationships as well as effects and potential mechanisms of action in biological systems.
- Evaluate a chosen isolation and characterization strategy of BNPs from biological material.
- Work as part of a team on a a PBL project and communicate the results.
Give skills to:
- Classify selected natural products based on their chemical structure.
- Identify possible pharmacophores of BNPs and evaluate their bioactivity and their structure-activity relationships and potential mechanisms of action in biological systems.
- Construct an experimental strategy for extraction, isolation, and characterization of BNPs from biological material using spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques, computational chemistry, and bioassays.
- In silico investigation of the bioactivity of BNPs.
Provide knowledge about:
- Structural diversity of BNPs and their pharmacophores.
- Extraction techniques as well as chromatographic techniques including flash chromatography, analytical and semi-preparative HPLC.
- Spectroscopic techniques for structure elucidation of BNPs such as NMR, UV, IR, and MS.
- In silico methods.
- Bioassays: in vitro and in vivo models to measure bioactivity of BNPs.
Expected learning outcome
The learning objective of the course is that the student demonstrates the ability to:
- Classify selected natural products based on their chemical structure.
- Identify possible pharmacophores of BNPs and evaluate the properties of BNPs and their structure-activity relationships and potential mechanisms of action in biological systems.
- Design an experimental strategy for extraction, isolation, and characterization of BNPs from biological material using spectrometric and spectroscopic techniques, computational chemistry, and bioassays.
- Carry out in silico investigation of the bioactivity of BNPs.
- Evaluate a chosen isolation and characterization strategy for BNPs from biological material.
- Communicate and critically evaluate the content of scientific papers within the course topics and the experimental work.
Content
The following main topics are contained in the course:
- Introduction to natural products chemistry and BNPs.
- The role of BNPs in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry.
- In silico methods in drug discovery.
- From BNPs to pharmaceuticals.
- Bioassays for BNPs, 2D and 3D cell culture models.
- Design and execute an experimental strategy for extraction, isolation, and characterization of BNPs from biological material.
Literature
Examination regulations
Prerequisites for participating in the exam a)
Timing
Spring
Tests
Participating in lab work and writing a laboratory report
EKA
N540048112
Assessment
Second examiner: None
Grading
Pass/Fail
Identification
Full name and SDU username
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Examination aids
To be announced during the course.
ECTS value
0
Additional information
Participating in lab work and contribute to writing a report on the experimental work. The report will be a group report.
The prerequisite examination is a prerequisite for participation in exam element a)
The prerequisite examination is a prerequisite for participation in exam element a)
Exam element a)
Timing
June
Prerequisites
Type | Prerequisite name | Prerequisite course |
---|---|---|
Examination part | Prerequisites for participating in the exam a) | N540048101, KE837: Hands-on approach to early-stage drug discovery |
Tests
Report and individual oral exam based on the report.
EKA
N540048102
Assessment
Second examiner: Internal
Grading
7-point grading scale
Identification
Student Identification Card - Name
Language
Normally, the same as teaching language
Examination aids
To be announced during the course
ECTS value
10
Indicative number of lessons
Teaching Method
At the faculty of science, teaching is organized after the three-phase model ie. intro, training and study phase.
- Intro phase: 16 hours (8 x 2)
- Training phase: 8 hours, hereof laboratory classes: 8 hours (2 x 4)
The teaching method is based on a Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach and students are working in groups of 3-4 on a specific project in the lab.
Activities during the study phase: Project on the isolation of potential BNPs from a specific biological material (work in the lab 74 hours).
Activities during the study phase: Project on the isolation of potential BNPs from a specific biological material (work in the lab 74 hours).
Teacher responsible
Timetable
Administrative Unit
Team at Registration
Offered in
Recommended course of study
Transition rules
Transitional arrangements describe how a course replaces another course when changes are made to the course of study.
If a transitional arrangement has been made for a course, it will be stated in the list.
See transitional arrangements for all courses at the Faculty of Science.