StudyQA — Master: Drug Discovery and Development: Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics

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This MRes programme is a one-year stand-alone course that will develop your expertise in multidisciplinary drug discovery research. It will also provide a deep understanding of the current global state of drug discovery together with radical insights into future directions from leaders in the field. You will graduate from the course with a solid knowledge of the drug discovery process from emerging technologies and drug target selection through to clinical trials and regulatory aspects. You will also be challenged to develop your own ideas on how to focus academic and industrial research to meet the pressing challenges of drug discovery.
At its conclusion you are expected to be ideally placed to apply your knowledge in industry or to undertake doctoral studies in multidisciplinary drug discovery.

The course consists of an eight-month interdisciplinary research project, and a taught component on drug discovery science, including lectures, research seminars and group discussion sessions.

You also attend Journal Club, which is an assessed transferable skills course, which aims to develop presentation skills, whilst encouraging scientific debate, and providing the opportunity to broaden scientific knowledge.

At each Journal Club meeting you will work in a group and make a presentation about a seminal high impact paper. This will be followed by a chaired discussion/debate about the paper.

You will be assessed on your ability to organise the presentation in a logical manner, the use of clear PowerPoint slides, the clarity of the presentation and its scientific content.

MODULES

Taught modules currently offered include:

Module 1 - Introduction

Standard Drug Discovery Model
Small molecule drugs
Biologicals
Molecular Interactions in Proteins and Enzymes
What makes a good drug?

Module 2 – The right targets

Overview on target validation
Systems Approaches in Drug Discovery
Chemical Genetics
Target selection and Biomarkers
Protein modelling strategies

Module 3 – The right drugs

In silico drug design
Structural biology for drug design
Bioanalytical Techniques
High throughput screening
High content screening
Re-purposing drugs
Fragment-based drug design
Whole animal imaging
Gene therapy

Module 4 – In the clinic

Getting drugs to market
Financing and protecting drug discovery
Designing Clinical Trials
Current therapeutic challenges in...
Infection
Cardiovascular disease
Cancer
Inflammation and COPD
Neurodegenerative diseases

Module 5 – Forming an opinion

Keynote lectures from high profile guest speakers covering past, future, and frontiers of the field

MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECT

The major component of the course is an eight-month long multidisciplinary research project on drug discovery and development, to be written up as a thesis.

You will select a research project from a range of proposals submitted by collaborating staff, and jointly supervised by at least one physical scientist and one scientist from the biomedical sciences or industry; the lead supervisor will be based at the College.

The projects are based entirely in the research laboratories of the supervisors, allowing you to benefit from interaction with postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers from each discipline.

You will also present your research findings at a one day MRes conference held at the beginning of September, which counts towards your overall assessment.

Satisfactory progress is monitored by a mid-term progress report completed by you and your supervisors. The course directors will regularly request feedback regarding your project progress, logistics and effectiveness of split site working, and will offer additional support whenever necessary.

Academic requirement: 2:1 degree or higher in a relevant subject (particularly in subjects such as Chemistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Biochemistry and Medicine) from a UK institution or an equivalent overseas qualification.

English language requirement: IELTS 6.5 (writing and speaking 6).

Tuition fees (2015–2016):