Drug Discovery

The course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the complex process of drug discovery and drug development. The topics covered in this course will include lead discovery and optimization, target identification and validation, bio-assay development (both in vitro and in vivo), and preclinical development. Challenges in drug discovery, such as animal disease-model development, will be highlighted by giving some practical examples in the field of drug discovery. The preclinical development portion of the course will cover toxicity evaluations, pharmacological and pharmacokinetic studies, drug formulation and stability, and process chemistry challenges.