Advanced Methodologies in Medicinal Chemistry

Overall, the course represents the natural extension of the two basic courses of Medicinal and Toxicological Chemistry I and II. The main aims can be summarized as follows: (a) to further delve into the relevant features concerning the design, optimization and development of promising drug candidates; (b) to provide the bases to better understand both the development/evolution of innovative research fields (i.e., G protein-coupled receptors, photopharmacology, the role of chiral recognition in the design of bioactive molecules); (c) to furnish the theoretic bases and the main applications of the computational approaches to the rational drug design. By considering its professionalizing nature, the course aims at increasing the wealth of knowledge and the critical view with which the student should deal with research problems in the context of innovative drug design, being able to manage emerging theories and methods.

Knowledge and understanding. The course, which belongs to the main characterizing area of the whole master's degree, aims to ascertaining the student's knowledge of advanced approaches and methods in medchem sciences, intended to improve the basic skills in the medicinal chemistry field in view of her/his professional training.
Applying knowledge and understanding. During the exam, the student should be able to apply the new concepts and methods through the presentation and detailed discussion of scientific results published in the recent literature.
Making judgements. The student should be able to discuss with pertinence, awareness and criticism the topics chosen for the exam. For both course modules, correlations and comments pertaining to the medicinal chemistry research will be encouraged and evaluated by the teacher.
Communication. For both modules, exams involve the discussion, by means of a PowerPoint presentation, of a subject chosen among those illustrated during the lectures, which the student further develops by an independent bibliographic search. Clarity of presentation and communication skills are part of the overall evaluation.
Lifelong learning skills. The main objective of the course is that to ascertain the strengthening of the student's background in the medchem disciplines, by evaluating the acquirement of skills aiming to a professional figure able to work in the framework of academic/nonacademic institutions and in multidisciplinary projects.