Pharmacy

General objectives The course “Drug Discovery and Innovative Approaches” aims to direct students towards students a rational learning of drug design methods, providing them, after some general considerations on the subject, an adequate preparation relating to: a) the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including the various types of molecular targets of drugs, the interactions involved and the consequences of such interactions; b) the general principles and strategies of drug discovery and design. Particular emphasis will be given to the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of drugs, the study of their metabolism, the interpretation of their mechanism of action at the molecular level and the construction of structure-activity relationships. Specific objectives 1. Knowledge and understanding The student will know and be able to understand all aspects concerning the principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, the various types of molecular targets of drugs, drug-receptor interactions and the consequences of such interactions, the general principles and strategies of drug discovery and design, the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of drugs, their metabolism, the interpretation of their mechanism of action at the molecular level and the construction of structure-activity relationships.2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding At the end of the course, the student, by applying the knowledge acquired, will have the ability to plan the design of a drug starting from the choice of the therapeutic area, the phenotypic approach or based on knowledge of the target, the possibility of studying drug-receptor interactions, the development from "hit" to "lead" and subsequently to "drug candidate", to continue with the application of the synthetic strategies and technologies studied, including the use of the computer, up to the correct understanding of the importance of the ADMET properties of the compounds to be considered as true candidates for clinical development. 3. Autonomy of judgment At the end of the course, the student will have the ability to evaluate whether a drug design approach is appropriate or not. These critical and judgment skills will be obtained thanks to the continuous interactivity proposed during the lessons of the course. The teacher, in fact, will ask the students questions aimed at stimulating them and developing their critical sense. These questions will also serve to evaluate and encourage students to make connections with everything they have studied so far, avoiding considering the study of the subject as an end in itself, but integrating the subject in light of the knowledge already acquired. At the end of the course, a paper in the form of a presentation regarding the design of a recently discovered innovative drug may be requested. 4. Communication skills The student will be able to communicate the knowledge learned during the course and will apply it in the oral exam, which will cover all the topics of the program. The student is encouraged to communicate interactively during the lessons and at the end of the course and after passing the exam will be able to effectively communicate his knowledge in the field of drug design to specialists in the sector in a more technical and detailed way, and to non-specialists in a more informative way. 5. Learning ability The student will find the in-depth analysis of what he heard in class in the recommended texts and in the scientific literature and will have the ability to use them in order to continue the preparation independently. This will help him to find the topics covered even in the future when the memories of the notions taught in the classroom will be faded. The texts will remain the point of reference for the student who will know where to go to find the partially forgotten notions in detail.

For a better understanding of the theoretical knowledge and technical skills, the student must have learned organic chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry.

lesson is obligatory

oral exam

Frontal lessons