Undergraduate study

Overview

The search for new drugs to treat a wide range of human ailments such as heart disease and cancer remain a great challenge to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The Medicinal Chemistry course at Keele provides students with an understanding of the complex biological and chemical problems that are involved in  design and synthesis of novel therapeutic agents. The course draws on basic chemical principles to solve problems at the interfaces of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology.

What Keele Offers

• BSc Medicinal Chemistry (Dual Honours and Major) degree courses
• Semester abroad
• Opportunities for industrial placement
• A curriculum designed to provide breadth and depth of Medicinal Chemistry knowledge
• High quality innovative teaching
• An enthusiastic and approachable teaching team
• Modern laboratory facilities with dedicated IT facilities
• Hands-on experience of a wide variety of modern instrumentation and analytical techniques
• Support in making the transition to university
• Personal and Year Tutors to monitor welfare and personal professional development

Degree Routes

Medicinal Chemistry may be studied for the following modular degrees, all involving some interdisciplinary aspects:

• BSc Dual Honours: with a second subject studied for three years
• BSc Medicinal Chemistry (Major): including study of a second subject in the first and second years

OpenPlus with the OU

OpenPlus Scheme: Some applicants may be interested in applying to the OpenPlus scheme, which Keele University is running in partnership with the Open University (OU). The scheme involves two years’ part-time study, with the OU, followed by two years full-time study at Keele to complete the degree programme. At the moment, this route is restricted to the combination of Medicinal Chemistry with Forensic Science. Visit http://www8.open.ac.uk/choose/openplus/ and http://www.keele.ac.uk/chemistry/forapplicants/2plus2/for more details.

Course Content

The first year of the Chemistry emphasises the development of practical chemistry skills and presents a unified introduction to the core branches of Chemistry that underpin the study of Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry to an advanced level. The modules cover the breadth of Chemistry from its physical concepts to important synthetic and analytical methods. The course structure encourages an integrated approach and many aspects of the subject are taught in context using real-world examples. The practical classes offer training and experience in a variety of practical and modern instrumental techniques combined with the processing and analysis of experimental data. Many of the practical experiments place Chemistry in a real-world contextand are linked directly to the lecture material. Dedicated mathematics support is offered to students without A-level Mathematics in the form of weekly combined lecture/problem-solving sessions (two hours per week during the first semester) taught by Chemistry staff and placed in a chemistry context.

In the second year the Medicinal Chemistry course is taught in context using modern examples to illustrate the process of drug discovery and the design of new drugs. Practical classes offer training in the techniques required for handling and characterising small quantities, enabling students to experience the process of drug discovery, and demonstrating the physical principles that control biological processes.

The final year is structured to enable students to study advanced chemical concepts in a variety of research-orientated lecture topics. All students undertake a research project allowing them to experience research first hand.

Dual Honours students study two taught modules in the Autumn Semester and research topics in Medicinal Chemistry in the Spring Semester, and undertake a research project module. Medicinal Chemistry Major students study three taught modules in the Autumn Semester and research topics in Medicinal Chemistry in the Spring Semester as well as undertaking a double-module research project and a module on Advanced Chemical Analysis. For Medicinal Chemistry Major students, two modules, Structural Biology and Macromolecular Function and Biochemistry and Therapy of Disease modules cover topics at the interface of Chemistry and the life sciences.

Medicinal Chemistry modules currently on offer

Our Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry have a common first year enabling students to transfer between these two courses up to the start of the second semester of their second year.

First Year

Chemical Concepts and Structure introduces the fundamental concepts of elemental properties, chemical bonding and molecular structure that underpin Chemistry. The content emphasises the integration of Physical, Inorganic and Organic Chemical concepts in the understanding of chemical processes.

 Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills 1 teaches the core practical skills required by all Chemists in an applied context. This module also lays the foundations required for the interpretation, explanation and communication of experimental results through the development of important research and communication skills

 Chemical Properties and Reactions builds upon the fundamental concepts introduced in Chemical Concepts and Structure, exploring the chemistry of the elements and the synthesis of organic molecules in the context of the thermodynamic and kinetic basis of chemical reactions.

Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills 2 implements the core practical skills developed in the preceding practical module in thought provoking experiments that supplement the theoretical content in the Chemical Properties and Reactions. The development of information literacy is advanced through the use of chemical databases and the chemical literature to interpret experimental results.

Second Year
Organic Synthesis and Chirality is concerned with the synthesis and reactivity of organic molecules, covering the strategic design of routes to synthesise cyclic, acyclic and heteroaromatic molecules and examines the three dimensional structure of molecules and the implications for their reactivity.

Spectroscopic Methods covers the theory and applications of spectroscopy in Chemistry, covering the use of spectroscopic techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, X-ray Diffraction and Infrared Spectroscopy to determine structural properties of a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds.

Drug Design based on Biological Targets explores the process of drug discovery and the development of new drugs from both the biological and the chemical perspective. The biological perspective covers the biological, pharmacological and chemical processes that comprise the interactions of drug molecules with the human body. The Chemical perspective explores how a drug molecule is designed, from the identification of a lead compound, through development of a clinical candidate, to drug manufacture and clinical trials.  

Biophysical Chemistry is concerned with the aspects of physical chemistry that are crucial to an understanding of Medicinal Chemistry and the interaction of drugs with the body including: the properties of electrolyte solutions, non-covalent interactions of molecules, molecular recognition and the structure and physiochemical properties of biological macromolecules.

Third Year
Synthesis, Kinetics and Mechanism focuses on key aspects of organic, physical and inorganic chemistry. The module content includes examples of organic synthetic methods, measurement of reaction rates and kinetics, and elucidation of reaction mechanism and catalytic processes.

Biologically Important Molecules examines the chemistry of peptides, proteins, nucleotides and DNA - molecules that play a crucial role in human biology. The structure and function of these molecules is explored, emphasising their synthesis, structural characterisation and application as medicinal agents.   

Medicinal Chemistry Research Project offers the opportunity for students to experience Medicinal Chemistry research at first hand. Dual Honours students carry out a single module research project, while Medicinal Chemistry (Major) students carry out a double module project.

Research Topics in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry
Topics include:

• Drug Delivery and Transport
• Peptidic Drugs
• NO in Drug Discovery
• The Periodic Table in Nature and Medicine
• Chemical Ecology
• Green Chemistry in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Additional Modules for Medicinal Chemistry Major Students
Structural Biology and Macromolecular Function aims to show how our understanding of biological function and the molecular basis of disease is enhanced and underpinned by the detailed structural information provided by structural biology. Topics include signal transduction, sequence-specific recognition of DNA, virus architecture and pathogenicity, recognition in innate and adaptive immunity, cell cycle regulation, tumorigenic mutations, and apoptosis.

Biochemistry and Therapy of Disease is intended to describe and promote understanding of the molecular basis of therapeutic intervention in a range of diseases, including bacterial, neurodegenerative, parasitic and neoplastic pathologies. It also addresses the questions arising from the failure of disease therapies and describes the molecular events underlying resistance to therapy.

Advanced Chemical Analysis aims to develop an in-depth knowledge of a wide range of analytical techniques and their use in the structural identification of molecules.  Students will use a comnination of techniques including mass mass spectrometry, NMR, chromatography, trace elements techniques,  IR and Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown or verify the presence of specific compounds in a short project.

Codes and Combinations

All students who study a science subject are candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Science (with Honours) (BSc Hons).

Dual Honours Course can be combined with:

Major and Foundation course available:

Teaching and Assessment

First and second year modules are taught in an integrated manner through a combination of lectures, dedicated practical classes and problem-solving classes. Lectures cover the core material for study, introducing students to the ideas and concepts in chemistry that are developed in problem-solving classes and in the teaching laboratory. Medicinal Chemistry comes to life in brand new teaching and newly refurbished research laboratories where students will experience excitement of experimentation and research.

Assessment of each module reflects the variety of activities experienced by our students and combines examinations and class tests with a variety of practical assessments including laboratory reports, oral presentations, poster presentations, laboratory diaries and information-retrieval exercises. Where appropriate, we employ self- and peer-assessment methods to enhance learning. Students receive comprehensive and prompt feedback on assessed work, and staff use a variety of rechniques including written, audio and face-to-face to deliver feedback.

Undergraduate students are strongly encouraged to attend our vibrant Chemical Sciences Seminar Series, where they are exposed to cutting-edge research presented by nationally and internationally recognised scientists.

Final year modules reflect the diverse and cutting-edge research interests of the academic staff. Material is presented in lectures and put into practice in problem-solving classes. Assessment includes class tests as well as critical analysis of research papers. Students also become members of a research team as they undertake projects led by academics and supported by postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. Assessment of project work includes a dissertation in the style of a research paper, evaluation of the laboratory diary and an oral examination.

Programme specifications (new window)

Skills and Careers

Medicinal Chemists work at the interface of the physical and life sciences and, consequently, must possess advanced skills in a number of areas. Graduates from this course offer a portfolio of skills that are attractive to potential employers who value analytical, problem-solving, communication and numerical skills which are highly desired in all sectors. A Dual Honours degree at Keele also gives students the opportunity to study for a higher degree, and typically about one third of Keele Medicinal Chemistry graduates choose to do so each year.

Medicinal Chemistry graduates have excellent employment prospects, both at the cutting-edge of drug discovery and also in the wider chemical industry and related sectors. Recent graduates have entered the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, working in the fields of genomics, drug delivery and the development of modern technologies. Dual Science graduates wishing to pursue a career in secondary school teaching are well suited to teaching an integrated science curriculum.

 

“Studying Medicinal Chemistry at Keele was a fantastic experience, the course covers a fascinating range of topics and inspired me to pursue a career in Medicinal Chemistry research.” Phillip Thompson, Medicinal Chemistry graduate, 2012.

Membership of professional institutions

The BSc Chemistry courses were recognised by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) under the recognition system ended by the RSC in September 2012; this enabled graduates to join the RSC as an associate member (AMRSC). The RSC is currently in the process of restarting the accreditation of BSc undergraduate degree courses during the 2012-2013 academic year and our major route BSc Chemistry degrees have been submitted for accreditation.

Some more ideas...

See also: Medicinal Chemistry and Biochemistry, page XXX; Medicinal Chemistry and Human Biology, page XXX; Medicinal Chemistry and Neuroscience, page XXX.

Visit our Careers pages (new window)

The main areas of research activity in Chemistry at Keele include green chemistry and clean technology, fuel cells, sustainable catalysis, environmental science, advanced materials, medicinal chemistry, chemical ecology, forensic and pharmaceutical analysis, computational chemistry, synthetic chemistry and photochemistry. Undergraduate project students have access to a wide variety of research equipment within the school, including FT-IR, UV/Vis, fluorescence and FT-NMR spectrometers, GC, HPLC, SFC and ICP-OES, ICP-MS, LC-MS, GC-MS chromatography, catalyst testing apparatus, laser flash photolysis, Raman microscopy, scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and microfocus instruments. Over recent years our research income has been impressive, with the award of substantial funding from government research councils, the European Union, charities and a large number of industrial partners. Staff have particularly strong links with industry and attract significant industrial funding for their work.

.

Laboratory Facilities

In Autumn 2009 our brand new multi-user teaching laboratory suite opened (above). This exciting addition to our teaching facilities expands our recently refurbished synthetic and analytical laboratories and results in three large, exceptionally well-equipped laboratories for the delivery of chemical sciences, boasting one of the best science teaching facilities in the country. Our analytical laboratories contain state-of-the art instrumentation, available for undergraduate use through laboratory practicals and final year research projects.