Medicinal Chemistry

Medicinal chemistry is a chemistry-based discipline, involving aspects of biological, medical and pharmaceutical sciences. The primary goals for this course are for everyone to gain: 1) an understanding of drug behavior in the body; 2) an appreciation of drug development, from lead optimization, to patents and drug registration and to drugstore shelf; and 3) an awareness of drug toxicity (side effects), from acute responses to long-term effects. Having successfully completed this course, you will not only develop the necessary knowledge and skills for a career that involves medicinal chemistry for research and pharmaceutical application in industry, but also a working knowledge of how and where to find information on any drug you may encounter as you continue your lives, even if your own career choice does not involve health care.