Duration
16h Th, 6h Pr, 6h SEM
Number of credits
| Bachelor in pharmacy | 3 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course covers the rules of IUPAC nomenclature, reviews key reactions in organic synthesis, and introduces the main degradation pathways of drugs. It then outlines the fundamentals of rational drug design, including basic concepts on biological targets, ligand-receptor interactions, modulation of physicochemical properties, ADME/Tox parameters, and drug discovery methods. Historical examples will be used to illustrate these concepts, complemented by an overview of modern approaches.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Medicinal chemistry is the discipline concerned with the design, preparation, and mode of action of drugs, particularly those derived from organic synthesis. It focuses, among other aspects, on establishing relationships between the chemical structure of molecules and their biological activity.
The general objectives of the course are to familiarize students with the active principles of medicines, their chemical structures, origin, design, and development.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- understand how drugs are designed (drug design), prepared (organic synthesis, genetic engineering), and named (with particular attention to the nomenclature of heterocyclic compounds);
- analyze the relationships between the chemical structure of drugs and their biological and therapeutic action (structure-activity relationships), as well as their main physicochemical properties (solubility, acid-base character, stability, chirality, etc.).
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Appropriate knowledge of general / organic chemistry and biochemistry.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
In addition to the lectures, several activities are scheduled:
- Seminar (2 h): focused on ionization and lipophilicity.
- Practical sessions (9 h): three sessions covering chemical synthesis, characterization of organic compounds, and chromatographic separation. The use of ChemDraw is encouraged.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
The lectures (2 h) are held throughout the first semester. They are supplemented by a seminar (2 h) focusing on the concept of extractability, and by practical sessions (9 h, in three sessions of 3 h each).
Attendance at practical sessions and the seminar is compulsory. Any absence must be notified by email no later than the day of the session and subsequently justified with a medical certificate (or an attestation in case of exceptional circumstances), to be submitted to the Professor within 48 hours of the missed session. Full (100%) attendance at these activities is a prerequisite for admission to the certification examination in both the first and second examination periods.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Written notes upgraded each year are distributed to the students.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam
Further information:
A written examination is held in January (first session) and in August-September (second session).
The exam consists of two parts:
- Part I (20% of the grade): assessment of basic concepts. If the 50% threshold is not reached in this part, Part II is not graded and the exam grade is limited to the mark obtained in Part I.
- Part II (80% of the grade): assessment of advanced competencies, graded only if the 50% threshold is reached in Part I.
Work placement(s)
Information on internship opportunities within the laboratory will be provided to interested students.
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Pierre.Francotte@uliege.be
Université de Liège | Fac. de Médecine
B36 niv.+5 | Lab. de Chimie Pharmaceutique (CIRM)
Quartier Hôpital | Av. Hippocrate 15 | B-4000 Liège, Belgium