“Drug Discovery Case Studies” is designed to provide students with insights into the ever-changing landscape of drug discovery research by presenting case studies for various breakthrough drugs discovered since the 1940s. Each lecture selects a particular drug that has made a significant impact on patients’ lives and examines some key elements that have contributed to its successful discovery and development. Three lectures will be given by guest speakers who will present case studies on new drugs in which they were directly involved at the time of discovery and development. The final three lectures will be devoted to presentations by three teams of students. No prior knowledge in drug discovery is required. This course is recommended for students in the 2nd or subsequent years of their graduate program and medical school as well as postdoctoral fellows and faculty members interested in drug discovery research. Canvas will be used to communicate with students, share course materials, make announcements, and post grades.
Drug Discovery Case Studies (ME:200.707)
Fall 2024
Course Director: Takashi Tsukamoto ([email protected])
Location: Rangos 590
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Dates: Every Friday 9/13/2024-12/20/2024
Prerequisite:
No prior knowledge in drug discovery is required. This course is recommended for students in the 2nd or later year of their graduate program.
Grades will be determined by:
(i) class participation (25%); (ii) group project (50%) where 5-6 students will form a team to prepare a case study presentation on a drug selected from a list provided by course director; (iii) critique paper (25%) on one of the two other students’ presentations.
Important information for students with disabilities:
If you have a disability or any health issue and may require accommodations in this course or during your tenure as a graduate student, please contact the Disabilities Services Coordinator for graduate (PhD, MS, MA and Certificate) students in the School of Medicine: Kristina Nance, [email protected] 410-955-8401 to discuss your specific needs.
Course Schedule
| Topic | Lecturer | |
| 9/13 | Introduction | Takashi Tsukamoto |
| 9/20 | Penicillin | Takashi Tsukamoto |
| 9/27 | Methotrexate | Kathryn Lemberg |
| 10/4 | Propranolol | Jim Barrow |
| 10/11 | Omeprazole | Diane Peters |
| 10/18 | Imatinib | David Meyers |
| 10/25 | Aripiprazole | Takashi Tsukamoto |
| 11/1 | Ubrogepant (Ubrelvy) and Atogepant (Qulipta) | Ian Bell (Merck) |
| 11/8 | Nirsevimab (Beyfortus ™) | Mark Esser (AstraZeneca) |
| 11/15 | Tofersen (QALSODY®) | Giulio Tomassy (Sanofi) |
| 11/22 | Group Discussion | |
| 12/6 | Project Presentations | Students |
| 12/13 | Project Presentations | Students |
| 12/20 | Project Presentations | Students |
Past Guest Lectures
| Topic | Lecturer | |
| 10/31/12 | Eribulin | Bruce Littlefield (Eisai)* |
| 11/7/12 | Denosumab | Scott Simonet (Amgen)* |
| 11/14/12 | Raltegravir | Steve Young (formerly at Merck)* |
| 10/29/14 | Tafacitinib | Chakrapani Subramanyam (Pfizer) |
| 11/5/14 | Trastuzumab emtansine | Gail Phillips (Genentech) |
| 11/12/14 | Linaclotide | Caroline Kurtz (Ironwood Pharma) |
| 10/28/16 | Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir (Harvoni®) | Michael Sofia (Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.) |
| 11/4/16 | Mepolizumab (Nucala®) | Steven Yancey (GlaxoSmithKline) |
| 11/11/16 | Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor (Orkambi®) | Mark Miller (Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.) |
| 10/19/18 | Etelcalcetide (Parsabiv®) | Les Miranda (Amgen) |
| 11/2/18 | Durvalumab (Imfinzi®) | Scott Hammond (MedImmune) |
| 11/9/18 | Suvorexant (Belsomra®) | Anthony Roecker (Merck) |
| 10/30/20 | Erenumab (Aimovig®) | Cen Xu (Amgen) |
| 11/6/20 | Elexacaftor/ivacaftor/tezacaftor (Trikafta®) | Mark Miller (Vertex Pharmaceuticals) |
| 11/13/20 | Ivosidenib (Tibsovo®) | Zenon Konteatis (Agios Pharmaceuticals) |
| 10/28/22 | Tixagevimab/Cilgavimab (Evusheld™) | Mark Esser (AstraZeneca) |
| 11/4/22 | Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir (PAXLOVID™) | Claire Steppan (Pfizer) |