Pharmaceutics

Module code: CH2211

This module will introduce the molecular foundations of drug action, guiding you from the chemical principles that shape ligand–protein interactions, to the biological systems that determine how drugs reach, bind, and influence their targets. Through an integrated exploration of drug targets, binding affinity, efficacy, delivery systems and metabolic pathways, you will develop a mechanistic understanding of how therapeutic molecules work in the body. Emphasis is placed on connecting organic reaction mechanisms with biochemical transformations, and on applying quantitative approaches to analyse protein–ligand and enzyme kinetics. By the end of the module, you will be equipped with the conceptual and analytical tools needed to understand modern drug design and pharmacological function at a molecular level.

Topics covered

• Major classes of drug targets and therapeutic molecule types (small molecules, peptides).
• Key forces and interactions driving ligand–protein binding.
• Distinguishing affinity, potency, and efficacy using quantitative measures.
• Dose–response relationships and mechanisms of agonism/antagonism.
• Biological barriers to drug action: membranes, transport, and delivery systems.
• GPCR structure, signalling, and relevance as drug targets.
• Principles of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination.
• Organic reaction mechanisms in drug metabolism, including curly arrow notation.
• Kinetics of protein–ligand interactions and residence time.
• Enzyme catalysed reactions, Michaelis–Menten kinetics, and inhibition types.