Drug Hunting: The Science of Making New Medicines

In collaboration with Davidson College, this specialization is intended for a graduate level audience with a life sciences background seeking to learn about preclinical drug discovery. Preclinical drug discovery is a complex, challenging, and iterative hunt for novel new medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. The science and considerations behind this endeavor are covered in this online specialization composed of 6 courses, which begins with an Introduction to Drug Hunting, followed by in-depth discussions of Targets, Assays and Screening, Lead Selection and Optimization, Pharmacokinetics, Preclinical Safety, and Preformulation. The specialization is self-paced, with each course comprised of short 5-minute videos covering selected topics, accompanied by additional readings and problems designed to reinforce and deepen understanding of those topics

• Understand the scientific principles behind novel drug discovery
• Identify steps in preclinical drug discovery and clinical trials
• Analyze assays, screening, and hit validation methods
• Evaluate lead optimization, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and safety

• Basic familiarity with relevant scientific concepts and terminology
• Readiness to engage in applied exercises and case studies