Outline

Overview

This unit of study aims to provide the background to the study of drugs and the important interactions of drugs and their targets. Learning about the molecular bases of such interactions requires consideration of the fundamental processes as replication, transcription and translation involving the macromolecules of life: proteins, DNA and RNA. The course also covers fundamental protein actions and mechanisms of the regulation of such targets, and proteomics, as well as fundamental molecular interactions important for understanding the action of, the detection of, and also diagnostic approaches applied to drugs and metabolites. Fuel metabolism and storage is considered, including metabolic adaptation and disorders of metabolism. Students get experience with a variety of practical techniques to assist learning in the course.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Pharmacy
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	(CHEM1611 or CHEM11X2 or CHEM19X2 or CHEM1904) and (CHEM1612 or CHEM11X1 or CHEM19X1 or CHEM1903) and PHAR1812 and (BIOL1XX7 or MBLG1XX1)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Thomas Balle, thomas.balle@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Thomas Balle, thomas.balle@sydney.edu.au
	Matthew Clemson, matthew.clemson@sydney.edu.au
	James Tsatsaronis, james.tsatsaronis@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam Final exam for all lectures, practicals and tutorials.	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Electronic laboratory notebook Spectrophotometry, ELMA, ELMA Design, PCR, Electrophoresis (6% each)	30%	Multiple weeks	Notebooks completed after each practical
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Metabolism Quiz Short multiple-choice quiz related to lecture concepts. #earlyfeedbacktask	5%	Week 03 Due date: 14 Mar 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 14 Mar 2025	30 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Enzyme kinetics MCQ and SAQ questions	0%	Week 05 Due date: 26 Mar 2025 at 11:59	30 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Molecular Biology Quiz Short multiple-choice quiz related to lecture concepts.	5%	Week 09 Due date: 02 May 2025 at 23:59 Closing date: 02 May 2025	30 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Protein structure function quiz MCQ + SAQ questions	0%	Week 10 Due date: 05 May 2025 at 13:00	30 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Science Communication Short written assignment	10%	Week 10 Due date: 09 May 2025 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = AI allowed ? = early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Detailed information of the contribution of each assessment task to the final mark can be found on Canvas.

Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN): One write-up for each of the five practical classes.

Quizzes: Multiple choice questions based on the lecture material. The first quiz will be for metabolism lectures and the second quiz will be for molecular biology lectures.

Science Communication Article: This will involve interpreting the scientific literature and writing a 500 word article for a general audience.

Final Exam: This will cover all material from lectures, practical classes and tutorials. There are multiple choice and short answer questions. This assessment is a compulsory hurdle task and failure will result in a 45 fail for the unit of study.

If a second replacement exam is required, this exam may be delivered via an alternative assessment method, such as a viva voce (oral exam). The alternative assessment will meet the same learning outcomes as the original exam. The format of the alternative assessment will be determined by the unit coordinator.

No use of AI tools

The use of automated writing tools and generative artificial intelligence is prohibited in this assessment. You are not allowed to use AI or any other software to create information or answers, to alter your own original writing, or to generate or modify text from other sources. This includes translation software, editing/paraphrasing software and other generative artificial intelligence tools.

Unapproved use is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and may result in penalties, which can include a fail for the assessment.

AI tools permitted

You are permitted to use automated writing tools and generative artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate your learning and completion of this assignment. Please adhere to the following guidelines:

Do not enter confidential, personal, copyrighted or otherwise sensitive information into any AI tool.
Do not rely on the accuracy of outputs. You remain responsible for your work. This means you must independently verify and edit AI-generated content to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and suitability of the output.
If you use these tools, you must be aware of their limitations, biases, and propensity for fabrication.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission, must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to reference and acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

You are advised to keep copies of the prompts you provided and AI outputs as evidence of your research and writing process. This allows you to produce an accurate acknowledgement of AI use when you submit your work. This can be requested by the unit coordinator if there is any uncertainty about the originality of your work.

Supplementary Year assessments: Students may be offered re-assessment of compulsory-to-pass assessments in the Replacement exam periods (RE1/RE2) at the end of the year, as described in the Second Year Rule. For more information see the announcement on the Canvas year site.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to students who demonstrate the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the units material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the units material and can solve routine problems and/ or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory adequately referencing the original source of the work.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Multiple weeks	The topics covered are Proteins: Fundamentals and Structure, The Genome and Gene Regulation, Enzymology, General Metabolism and Proteomics. Metabolism, biochemistry, enzyme kinetics, protein structure	Lecture and tutorial (64 hr)
Multiple weeks	Laboratory	Practical (15 hr)
Weekly	Learning independently including pre-work, reports and assignments	Independent study (60 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: In accordance with the Bachelor of Pharmacy Course resolutions on Attendance Requirements, students must attend a minimum of 85% tutorials/ labs/ workshops to satisfy attendance requirements for this unit of study. For more information see Canvas site.

If a tutorial/ lab/workshop is missed due to illness or misadventure, students are to submit a special consideration application along with supporting documentation.

Students arriving more than 10 minutes after the commencement of the laboratory / workshop / placement will be marked as unprofessional, which is a component of the class participation and professionalism assessment. Students swapping a class without prior approval from the UOS coordinator will be marked as unprofessional.

Students who has previously completed laboratories and molecular modelling workshops (or equivalent) may apply to the program director for an exemption from the practical components (labs and modelling workshop) of the unit.

Students who have not previously completed labs and workshops (or equivalent), please contact UOS coordinator.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Nelson, DL. and Cox, MM. Lehninger: Principles of Biochemistry (7e ed)(electronic Sapling Plus version), Macmillan, 2016

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. explain the difference between qualitative and quantitative measurements, and obtain quantitative measurements of metabolite concentrations and enzyme activities in an accurate and reproducible manner
LO2. assess the quality of, interpret, and draw conclusions from data obtained in the laboratory
LO3. use relevant scientific laboratory and instrumental techniques in the context of structured experiments with expected outcomes
LO4. describe enzyme action, including the important enzyme inhibition mechanisms, and calculate the associated quantifying descriptors
LO5. describe major components of amino acids and protein structure, and give diagrammatic representations
LO6. give important examples of how protein structure provides biological function, including describing major categories of roles for proteins
LO7. describe the complexity of the eukaryotic genome and its structure in detail and identify the key constituent elements
LO8. outline the specific processes by which genetic information is transmitted from one generation to the next and analyse the flow of this information within the cell
LO9. describe and evaluate the steps involved in gene transcription and translation and evaluate the different ways by which gene expression can be regulated
LO10. describe in detail the main anabolic and catabolic processes in the cell, and discuss how variations in energy demand and supply affect these processes
LO11. compare and contrast the integration of anabolic and catabolic processes in the cells, and predict how perturbations to these processes, including fuel selection and genetic mutation, affect the cell and whole organism
LO12. summarise the catabolic and anabolic fates of dietary nitrogen, and predict how the synthesis and degradation of nitrogenous biopolymers are affected in contexts such as starvation, diabetes and cancer
LO13. describe proteome and proteomics, and approaches to identifying proteins in a proteome, and begin to understand how proteomics could be utilised in both diagnosis and understanding.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The unit is revised according to student feedback. A recent provision is the inclusion of an online textbook.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Any fulfilment of work health and safety requirements specific to this UoS will occur during the course.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

PHAR2811: Drug Discovery and Design A

Semester 1, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links