PHA-30069 - Module Specification
School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

This module will bring together all of the concepts in medicinal chemistry that have been covered in earlier modules to deliver an in-depth examination of topics in this, and related fields, which representing current thinking and recent advances in drug delivery with aspects of medicinal chemistry, providing appropriate linkages.
The application of knowledge gained is key to success in this module. The module starts with a general introduction to advanced drug delivery and then will address various delivery systems including targeted drug delivery systems, polymeric drug delivery systems, parenteral emulsions (including total parenteral nutrition) and liposomes. Students will be encouraged to engage with the primary and secondary literature throughout the module in order to advance skills in research. Students will research the literature describing medicinal chemistry, including its application to novel formulation formulation and drug delivery systems, in two pharmaceutical approaches of their choice.

This module aims to explain and evaluate the rationale in developing new chemical entities (NCEs) by novel methods of chemical synthesis, including advanced drug delivery systems, and to critically appraise them for their clinical relevance. The physicochemical properties of these drug delivery systems will be examined with emphasis on the relevance to their in vivo behaviour, and the therapeutic benefits of these drug delivery systems will also be discussed. This theme is extended beyond currently accepted therapeutic strategies to encourage students to evaluate current research in selected areas of medicinal chemistry applied to pharmaceutical systems, including the application of computer aided drug design for this purpose.

Intended Learning Outcomes

review, consolidate, and apply understandings of the chemical properties and methods of production in the development of current and emerging drug delivery systems and NCEs: 2
deploy established techniques to acquire laboratory data and critically evaluate data from the literature about the properties of drug delivery systems and NCEs: 1
critically appraise published clinical and experimental data using a structured approach, in order to assess its quality and validity, with the principal aim of understanding how this knowledge can be used in approaches to designing and manufacturing new drugs and drug delivery systems: 1
demonstrate detailed knowledge of the physicochemical properties of advanced and cutting-edge drug delivery systems and how these properties might influence clinical performance
: 2
critique in a clinically relevant context new approaches to developing novel drug delivery systems including those based on new strategies of chemical synthesis: 2
apply computer-aided drug design (CADD) methods to the drug discovery process: 1

Study hours

Large- and small-group teaching sessions: 20 hours
Skills-based laboratory and practical skills activity: 10 hours
Directed private study, revision and assessment: 118 hours
Examinations: 2 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment