CH3PC2: Further Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Module code: CH3PC2

Module provider: Chemistry; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr John McKendrick, email: j.e.mckendrick@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Candyce Clark, email: c.r.clark@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Students will learn the aetiology and pathology of a number of common diseases and by applying this knowledge understand the development of chemotherapeutic strategies to treat them. In each case the students will gain an appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of the subject as they draw on the relevant aspects of pharmacology and biochemistry to enhance their understanding of the chemistry. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Explain the role of the aberrant cell cycle in cancer and how anticancer drugs can lead to selective cytotoxicity. 
2. Explain the mechanism of action of a variety of anticancer drugs, antibacterials, antifungal, antiprotozoals and antiviral agents. 
3. Explain how a range of drugs in the therapeutic area of this module are synthesised. 
4. Discuss the medicinally exploitable differences between bacterial and human cells and how this understanding lead to the development of antibacterial agents e.g. semi-synthetic penicillins. 
5. Discuss the particular problems that distinguish the treatment of fungal infections form bacterial ones. 
6. Explain the process of drug discovery in the area of anti-ulcer therapy. 

Module content

Infectious Diseases: We will examine the mechanisms of action of various infective agents such as bacteria, viruses. Having established their mode of action we will examine the drug strategies used to combat them and the preparation of such drugs. 

Cancer Chemotherapy: We will study the nature of cancer and why it is such a difficult disease to treat by chemotherapy. We then move on to the various drug strategies employed such as DNA alkylating agents, intercalators and minor groove binders, anti-mitotic agents and the role of apoptosis in the aberrant cell cycle. 

Aspects of Industrial Pharmaceutical chemistry: An overview of the industrial practice from two perspectives. The Medicinal chemists perspective: i) A series of lectures overviewing the drug discovery process from external lecturers with many years of experience of medicinal drug discovery; ii) An overview at the role of the process chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, exploring the differences that arise when chemistry moves from a lab scale (grams) to an industrial scale (tons). 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Approximately three contact hours per week, a mixture of lectures and workshops. 

Study hours

At least 34 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative workshops will be held to prepare students for the assessed tutorial questions 

Reassessment

Additional costs