Outline

Overview

Drug Discovery and Design B goes beyond the basics to help students develop a deeper understanding of how drugs work, and how to discover and design new drugs. How drugs are transformed by metabolism is explored, with a particular focus on the factors which influence metabolism and pharmacogenetics. A problem-based learning approach will be used for the prediction of drug metabolite structures from physical, chemical, biochemical and spectroscopic data. Elements of statistics, stereochemistry, drug design, drug metabolism, and drug mechanism of action are integrated to explore the pathway from drug discovery and design to clinical application.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PHAR2821
Academic unit	Pharmacy
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	(CHEM1611 or CHEM11X2 or CHEM19X2 or CHEM1904) and (CHEM1612 or CHEM11X1 or CHEM19X1 or CHEM1903) and PHAR1812.
Corequisites ?	PCOL2605.
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Paul Groundwater, paul.groundwater@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Record+)	Final examination MCQ and short answer (MCQ 50% and SAQ 50% of the total exam mark)	50%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Structure-based drug design Written report with non-written elements	10%	Multiple weeks	200 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Drug action Poster presentation	10%	Multiple weeks	10 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Stereochemistry quiz Workshop and MCQ	10%	Multiple weeks	3 hours
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Open book)	Maths/statistics quiz Quiz contains 6 MCQ & 10 short answer questions.	10%	Week 04 Due date: 17 Sep 2020 at 14:00	50 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Drug metabolism Online workshop test	10%	Week 09	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = Type B final exam ? = Type C in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

Maths/statistics quiz: Individual assessment of content from the maths/statistics lectures consisting of short answer questions.
Stereochemistry quiz: Group and individual assessment of content from the stereochemistry lectures. This quiz consists of 10 multiple choice questions. There will be no peer assessment for the group component.
Structure-based drug design: A short group report including a graphical figure illustrating binding mode and drug receptor interactions, and an accompanying informative figure legend. There will be no peer assessment.
Drug metabolism: Individual test, a problem-based assessment of drug metabolism.
Drug action: In groups, students will be assigned a drug, and, using online databases, students will consider topics they will need to cover to produce a poster on the pharmaceutical properties and medicinal chemistry of the drug. Peer assessment (relative performance factor) will be applied to moderate the groupwork marks. Students will take part in a formative peer assessment conducted in DA1 (week 6/7), and a summative peer assessment in DA4 (week 11/12). Peer assessment will be completed online using Sparkplus to obtain a factor between 0-1, and will be according to an agreed set of criteria established by groups in DA1.
Final examination: Written examination answering multiple-choice questions and short answer questions in the time period specified.If you wish to sit your exam on-campus, a limited number of on-campus places will be available through an online booking system. The Replacement Exam for this UoS will be in the formal Replacement Exam Period (11/01/2021 to 14/01/2021).

Exemption from coursework for students repeating PHAR2821 will only be granted for students who achieved a coursework grade of Credit or above in the previous academic year. Students who have been granted a coursework exemption will have their overall mark based upon their performance in the final exam only. Coursework marks from a previous attempt will not be carried over.

Exemptions must be provided in writing (email), and explicitly state how the marks are reweighted. Students must accept or decline the exemption in writing (email).

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (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
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Non submission of peer assessment will result in a factor of zero (0) being applied to the non-submitter’s groupwork mark.

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.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction; 2. Stereochemistry; 3. Maths	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	1. Stereochemistry; 2. Maths	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Maths	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	1. Maths; 2. Drug metabolism 1; 2. Drug metabolism 2	Lecture (3 hr)
	Maths	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Drug design 1	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	1. Drug design and discovery 1; 2. Drug design and discovery 2; 3. Drug design and discovery 3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	1. Drug design 1; 2. Drug design 2	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	1. Drug metabolism 3; 2. Drug metabolism 4; 3. Drug metabolism 5	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	1. Drug design 2; 2. Drug design 3	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	NMR / IR / MS 1	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	1. Drug design 3; 2. Drug action 1	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	1. Drug design and discovery 4; 2. Drug design and discovery 5; 3. Drug design and discovery 6	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	1. Drug action 1; 2. Drug action 2	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	1. Metabolism worked examples 1; 2. Metabolism worked examples 2; 3. Metabolism worked examples 3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Drug action 2	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	Worked example drop in session	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	Drug action 3	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	1. Drug design to clinical application 1; 2. Drug design to clinical application 2; 3. Drug design to clinical application 3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	1. Drug design to clinical application 4; 2. Drug design to clinical application 5; 3. Drug design to clinical application 6	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Drug action 4	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	Exam question practice	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Drug action 4	Workshop (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: At least 85% attendance is required for all compulsory activities in this Unit of Study.

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

G.L. Patrick (2009) An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, 4th Ed, Chapter 11.4, pages 156-167. Also, 5 th Edition 2013.

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. critically examine scientific evidence, both quantitative and qualitative, in order to arrive at evidence-based conclusions
LO2. identify sources of drugs, the way they are discovered, purified, characterised, and analysed, and their physicochemical properties
LO3. outline fundamental concepts in chemistry necessary for understanding drug delivery, drug action, and therapeutics
LO4. demonstrate an understanding of the pharmacological mechanisms of action, and the properties drugs display as biologically active molecules in living systems
LO5. apply appropriate numeracy skills to the solution of pharmacy problems
LO6. demonstrate an ability to deal with the concept of uncertainty, and be able to devise alternatives which take into account qualifying and constraining variables
LO7. apply an understanding of basic and applied sciences to the management and solution of pharmaceutical and clinical problems including the metabolism and degradation of drugs
LO8. demonstrate appropriate attitudes and values in personal and professional dealings
LO9. work effectively and cooperatively as a member of a learning team
LO10. demonstrate the ability to learn independently, and take responsibility for your own learning.

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.

Thank you for the very positive feedback on PHAR2821 (2019 edition). As usual, we will try to address the suggestions for improvements for next semester. I am particularly pleased that there were so many comments on the support provided (on Canvas). Please make sure you make full use of Canvas and Piazza in other UoS so that you can benefit from the help of your classmates, as well as the staff. We are sure that your understanding of the material covered in this UoS will be beneficial for the remainder of your studies and look forward to building upon this knowledge when we teach you in future years.

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PHAR2821: Drug Discovery and Design B

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect