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PHA507 - How Medicines Work: Medicinal Chemistry

2023

Sector

Higher Education

Discipline

Pharmacy

Unit Description

In this unit, students will cover the evolution of drugs through time, the principles of drug discovery in the areas of pharmacognosy and natural products, synthetic, medicinal chemistry and the development of medicinal substances. The unit will focus on their chemistry and, in particular, how the chemical structure of a drug relates to its biological activity. Students will develop technical and analytical skills in drug isolation, identification and analysis methods. They will also be able to analyse traditional bush medicines as part of their compulsory on-campus intensive practical component; this will be 5 days on the Casuarina campus.

Unit Learning Outcomes

1.	Analyse the structure-action relationship of various medicines to predict their mode of action
2.	Apply knowledge of the chemistry of proteins and nucleic acids to their role as drug targets.
3.	Predict the mechanism of action of a drug in vivo and its physiological activity based on the relationship between its structure and biological targets.
4.	Apply technical and analytical skills to competently isolate, identify and analyse drugs.
5.	Design and implement a plan to work safely and competently in a chemical laboratory.
6.	Effectively contribute to team and group work for scientific investigation and reporting by applying sophisticated communication and interpersonal skills.

Assessment Overview

	Assessment Task	Value (of total mark)	Related Learning Outcome/s
1.	Lab report on Group Task (3-5 pages/student - Hurdle)	20%	4,5,6
2.	Group Practical Test (2 hours - 2 students/group)	40%	4,5,6
3.	Final online test (90 minutes)	30%	1,2,3
4.	Online test (20 minutes)	10%	1,2,3

Unit Availability

Year	Semester	Att Mode	Location	Learning Method	Timetable*
2023	Semester S	Internal	Casuarina Campus	ITV,OLR	View
2023	Semester S	External	External Studies	ITV,OLR	View

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ITV: This unit will be delivered/part-delivered intensively in this teaching period rather than over the full semester.

OLR: Internet access is required for this unit as students are required to access study materials provided on-line through Learnline. Please log into Learnline on the first day of each teaching period. For more information about Learnline, please click here.

Critical Dates

Important Dates for Students

Fee Information:
Fees and Payments
Student Services and Amenities Fees
2023 Domestic Unit Fees (PDF)