Admission requirements
Elective course MSc Chemistry, elective course MSc Life Science and Technology.
This course is designed for students with a BSc in MST, LST or equivalent.
Students should have basic knowledge of organic chemistry and molecular biology. For students of the MSc Chemistry having finished the course Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) is advised. For students of the MSc Life Science and Technology having finished the course Biosynthetic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (BPC) is advised.
Description
Bacterial antimicrobial resistance is an urgent thread to the human health, which is currently directly causing more than 1.2 million deaths every year. Therefore, the development of new antibiotics active against antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains is a high priority. This course aims to prepare students to contribute scientifically to this societal challenge and to efficiently engage in discussions on this topic in their peer groups and in general society. For this purpose, the students will obtain in-depth background knowledge on the research field of antibiotic development.
Key aspects of the course will be the main antibiotics classes used in the clinics, their (bio)synthesis, their targets as well as mechanisms of bacterial resistance development against them.
One additional focus of the course will be on obtaining knowledge, how the mechanism-of-action of antibiotics can be elucidated. While obtaining this background knowledge, the tools will be acquired to critically think about and discuss what makes a good antibiotic strategy and which experiments are needed to evaluate its development potential.
Course objectives
At the end of the course the student can:
explain, which steps are needed to design and develop a small molecule antibiotic.
identify different classes of antibiotics using the chemical structures of the compounds.
name the biological targets of the different antibiotic classes.
elaborate on the molecular mechanisms-of-action of different classes of antibiotics.
explain the (bio)synthesis of different classes of antibiotics.
classify different mechanisms of bacterial resistance development.
compare different methods that can be used to decipher the mechanism-of-action of antibiotics.
assess the suitability of a compound to become a clinically used antibiotic based on data found in the literature.
create presentations on scientific concepts based on information in the scientific literature.
Timetable
Schedule information can be found on the website of the programmes.
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures with discussions, assignments and student presentations in classroom.
Assessment method
Written, closed book examination mainly with short questions. This will make up the final grade (100%).
One presentation will be given by each student that will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, but will not count towards the final grade of the exam.
Reading list
Literature will be provided during the course via Brightspace.
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Contact
Remarks
According to OER article 4.8, students are entitled to view their marked examination for a period of 30 days following the publication of the results of a written examination. Students should contact the lecturer to make an appointment for such an inspection session.
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.