Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development Quiz

Pitfalls in Drug Development

• Potential pitfalls in the development of new candidate drugs exist, highlighting the challenges in bringing a new drug to market.
• The average cost of developing a new candidate drug is high, emphasizing the need for efficient and effective development processes.

Medicinal Chemistry

• Medicinal chemistry is mainly concerned with the discovery and development of new pharmaceutical agents (drugs).
• It combines aspects of chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and biology to create new drugs.

Focus of Medicinal Chemistry

• Medicinal chemistry focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of pharmaceutical agents to treat diseases and improve human health.

Updating Drug Design Rules

• Medicinal chemists need to keep updating the rules of drug design due to the emergence of new diseases, antibiotic resistance, and the need for more effective treatments.

Goal of Medicinal Chemists

• The goal of medicinal chemists is to design and develop safe and effective drugs that can treat diseases and improve human health.

Natural Sources of Medicinal Compounds

• Quinine, used to treat malaria, comes from the bark of the Cinchona tree.
• Bengamide A, known for its anti-tumour properties, is sourced from marine sponges.

Historical Use of Opium Compounds

• Opium compounds from poppies have been used primarily for their analgesic and sedative properties.

Drug Selectivity

• Medicinal chemists aim to achieve high selectivity in drug design, ensuring that drugs target specific biological pathways or receptors while minimizing side effects.

ADME in Medicinal Chemistry

• ADME stands for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion, which are four critical aspects of medicinal chemistry that determine a drug's efficacy and safety.

Marine Chemistry and Drug Discovery

• Marine chemistry contributes to drug discovery by providing a rich source of bioactive compounds from marine organisms, such as Bengamide A.

Rainforests and Drug Discovery

• Rainforests are a rich source of biodiversity, providing medicinal chemists with a vast array of potential drug candidates from plant and animal sources.

Chemotherapy in Cancer Treatment

• The goal of chemotherapy in treating cancer is to selectively kill or inhibit the growth of cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells.

Common Ground

• Biopharmaceuticals, organometallic compounds, and inorganic compounds are all used in medicinal chemistry, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of the field.