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Modern Drug Discovery

Minor

Description

How are new drugs developed? This question is central to the Minor, which covers the entire trajectory from disease to drug molecule and vice versa. The various research groups involved offer a complementary and interdisciplinary perspective by connecting the diverse subjects in drug development into a coherent Minor. The main goal is to provide insight into novel drugs and their targets within the body. Students learn how to design, synthesize, formulate, administer and test a drug molecule before it may serve as ‘lead’ molecule for a future drug. These may be small molecules but also therapeutic proteins or vaccines may be considered. Moreover, (novel) targets are studied intensely via ‘omics’ approaches and bio-analysis of drugs. The drug development trajectory requires cooperation of various disciplines, which is shown by the fact that three different Bachelor studies from the Faculty of Science are involved in this Minor: MST, LST and BFW.

The following subjects are addressed in the Minor Modern Drug Discovery:

  • disease and molecular defects

  • ‘omics’ approaches

  • bio-analysis of drugs and their targets

  • formulation of drug molecules

  • administration of drugs

  • receptor- and enzyme systems

  • synthetic approaches

  • biological testing

These important parts are studied both in theory as well as in practice during the Minor programme. Based on interdisciplinary examples students learn various ways to identify and/or produce new ‘lead’ molecules that may serve as a basis for the development of new drug therapies.

When foreign students follow the Minor, all lectures and exams will be in English; students may however answer in Dutch.

Admission requirements

Admission criteria apply to this Minor (see Appendix 3 of the Education and Exam regulation BSc Programmes (OER)). It is only accessible to students in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences, Life Science & Technology and Molecular Science & Technology.
Minimum/maximum capacity: 10/30
This Minor consists of integrated courses and is meant to deepen the insight into drug discovery and development. The programme cannot be split into two parts of 15 EC.

Registration

Registration via uSis, in the period between May 1st and June 15th 2015.
The class number required for application via uSis can be found via the Faculty webpage Sign up for classes
Important: All LST and MST students should register via uSis
Other students from Technical University Delft or Erasmus University Rotterdam can register via the Application Form (available on this website from May 1st until May 31st 2015). From June 1st on, these students can register via the Minor Coordinator. All other students should always apply via the Minor Coordinator between May 1st and June 15th 2015.

Contact

Coordinator: [ Dr. C. Brouwer ]( mailto: c.brouwer@science.leidenuniv.nl/ )

Start

  • The Minor Modern Drug Discovery starts on August 31st 2015 at 9.00 a.m. in a lecture hall of the Gorlaeus Laboratoria.