Module manager: Richard Foster
Email: R.Foster@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
Level 1 of a Chemistry or Biochemistry programme equivalent to that at Leeds.
| CHEM2342 | Chemical Pharmacology and Drug Design |
CHEM2215
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Designing new medicines requires a knowledge of the principal modes of binding of drug molecules to biological macromolecules. This module will introduce concepts on recognition features in drug molecules such as pharmacophores and isosteres, covering a number of drug design strategies that optimise compound potency and selectivity. It will cover an introduction to pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, taught using the fundamentals of chemistry.
On completion of this module students should be able to:
- use the principles of medicinal chemistry to understand drug binding
- be able to suggest plausible ways of modifying a chemical structure to improve potency and selectivity against a drug target
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes:
1. Describe and apply key concepts in molecular design to unseen problems
2. Analyse biological data to identify structure-activity relationships
3. Solve basic pharmacokinetic problems using unseen data
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills :
a. Manage time and plan work to meet deadlines.
b. Use principles of drug design to solve unseen problems.
1- Hit-2-lead development: Pharmacophores, isosteres and other drug design strategies.
2- Introduction to pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution and excretion.
Methods of assessment
The assessment details for this module will be provided at the start of the academic year
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 22 | 1 | 22 |
| Private study hours | 78 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 100 | ||
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 30/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team