The final exam is a 3 hr written exam.

Assignments are based on the previous 2 weeks work.

The report is a major work that you will start preparing in week 5 and complete in week 13.  It involves a written report.

The oral presentation will be a 5 - 10 minute talk on a contemporary topic related to medicinal chemistry with an online discussion component.

The weekly classes are a participation hurdle and failure to participate in at least 10 of the 13 weekly classes will result in you failing CBMS842. Participation includes active engagement with the weekly tasks and in class objectives.

If you are unable to attend a class, please contact Peter Karuso (peter.karuso@mq.edu.au) or Joanne Jamie (joanne.jamie@mq.edu.au) immediately.  In addition, you must submit a Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au to justify your absence.

Your marks will be placed on the CBMS842 iLearn site. 

Your final grade will be based on the mark from the aggregation of the individual assessments, with 50% or greater needed overall for a pass.

Medical certificates or other official documents must be lodged as part of a Special Consideration request at ask.mq.edu.au as soon as possible if you are absent for any of the weekly classes or miss the due date for any of the assessment tasks.  If your reason is regarded as valid for missing an assignment you will be given an average of the other assignments. If you miss the final exam for a valid reason, a supplementary exam will be provided.  Any assessment tasks not submitted on time that does not get approval through the Special Consideration request will get a 10% deduction of marks for every weekday late.

Final Examination Details:  The examination timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations.  You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated by the University in the Examination Timetable.  This could be any day after the final week of semester and up until the final day of the official examination period.  It is Macquarie University policy to not set early examinations for individuals or groups of students.  All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the final day of the official examination period. 

The only exception to sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption.  Absence from the final exam will result in a grade of F except in the case of a genuine medical emergency or misadventure as defined by the University (see below).  In these circumstances you should apply for a Supplementary Exam at ask.mq.edu.au.  NOTE:  If you apply for a Supplementary Examination, you must make yourself available for the Supplementary Exam times in early December - specific examination dates and times will be determined at a later date.  If you are not available at that time, there is no guarantee an additional examination time will be offered.

This is a self taught unit using the "molecular conceptor" and MOE software.  Each week a set number of tasks are assigned and assessed. There is no text book set for this unit but the material covered in CBMS606 Medicinal Chemistry is assumed knowledge.

WEEK 1

• Introduction to Drug Discovery
• Principles of Rational Drug Design

WEEK 2

• Structure Activity Relationships (SAR)
• Bioisosterism

WEEK 3

• Bioinformatics
• Protein Structure

WEEK 4

• Library Design
• Molecular Graphics

WEEK 5

• Molecular Geometry
• Molecular Energies
• Conformational Analysis

WEEK 6

• Protein Ligand Binding
• Principles of Structure Based Design

WEEK 7

• Molecular Docking: Principles and Methods

WEEK 8

• Case Studies - Structure Based Design
• Case Studies - Docking in Drug Discovery
• Analysis of Protein Ligand Complexes

WEEK 9

• Principles in Pharmacophore elucidation
• Ligand based Approaches

WEEK 10

• Examples of Pharmacophores
• Case Studies - Ligand Design

WEEK 11

• QSAR: Principles and Methods
• Case Studies - QSAR and 3D-QSAR

WEEK 12

• Project Completion

WEEK 13

• Project submission
• Review

MOE WORKSHOPS

1. Introduction to MOE
2. Building Molecules
3. 3D Visualisations
4. Structure based design
5. Docking
6. Ligand based design
7. Protein Ligand Interaction footprints

There have been minor changes to the order of topics and assessment structure.  The classes have been expanded to 4 hour sessions to allow the majority of sessions using the programs MOE and Molecular Conceptor to be done during class time.