A Roadmap to Modern Drug Discovery
Dedicated to Dr. Valentina Barbagallo † (1969-2025)
for her insight and vision that sparked off the internationalization process of UNICT, her enthusiastic support and helpful advice
The pharmaceutical sciences combine a broad range of scientific disciplines that are critical to the discovery and development of new drugs and therapies. Pharmaceutical sciences can be broadly classified into the following main categories, with many specialized fields within each category:
Analysis and Pharmaceutical Quality Control
Biotechnology
Clinical Pharmacology and Translational Research
Drug Discovery and Development Interface
Formulation Design and Development
Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Drug Metabolism and Transport
Regulatory Sciences
The BIP A Roadmap to modern drug discovery is a programme that aims to give participants an in-depth knowledge of drug development, from the starting idea to a registered product. Drug development is a long and complicated process that requires expertise in several different areas.
The programme will provide participants with high-level scientific skills and knowledge covering topics ranging from hit identification and drug formulation to clinical trial design. The programme draws on the broad expertise within the DSFS and will offer to the students an exposure to a range of fields spanning the whole pharmaceutical research, including medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical technology, pharmacology, biochemistry, bio-informatics, genetics, preclinical research, and medicine commercialization.
The multidisciplinary aspect of the programme means that student will be taught by experts from the DSFS. Modules are designed to be intensive and intellectually-stimulating.
Overall, the BIP A Roadmap to modern drug discovery offers to the students the opportunity to understand, evaluate and engage with the entire process of drug discovery and development.
The course is a ‘one-stop-shop’ outlining the major scientific tools of drug discovery and how these contributions are phased over time and integrated to generate a drug suitable for clinical trials. Focus is on small molecule drugs with comparison made with biotechnological drugs. Based on real-world experience and practical realities, attendees travel step-by-step along the typical path. Initiating Idea -> Drug Target Protein Selection -> Lead Identification -> Clinical Candidate -> Drug Delivery.
Without this multi-disciplinary approach, it would not be possible for drugs to make it to market.
Despite the drug discovery process taking ~15 years from idea to market, this BIP will ask you to cover most of this process in 5-days. By embedding yourself into a team of drug discovery scientists, the participant will be asked to step outside of her/his comfort zone by exposing to all aspects of the preclinical drug discovery process.
Drug molecules are rarely administered alone. They are administered as dosage forms or formulations. Before any formulation development is initiated, the drug molecule has to be characterized for certain fundamental physico-chemical and technological properties. A thorough understanding of these properties allows a science-based development of the formulations, by enabling identification of challenges during formulation development. These activities, made prior to initiation of formulation development, are called as preformulation studies. Preformulation can be considered as the learning phase about the active molecule and its interactions with excipients.
The BIP will provide basic formulation principles, including preformulation studies, biopharmaceutical and bioavailability considerations and the effect of excipients on physical and chemical stability.
The course is delivered in blended learning mode. Blended teaching is an instructional approach that uses digital strategies in tandem with best practice in the classroom. Face-to-face and digital teaching (8 hours) may alternate according to a fixed schedule.This approach with its variations, makes teaching more flexible, both for teachers and students. In fact, asynchronous blended learning allows teachers and students to implement online activities, using a variety of methods and tools that meet multiple learning needs by combining the benefits of in-person and online learning.
Blended teaching pharmaceutical sciences presents a unique challenge for pharmacy students,. This instructional approach amalgamates various teaching techniques with the objective of improving students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction, thereby offering additional teaching avenues for nurturing pharmaceutical talent.
Official language will be English. Fluency in English language is thus required.
The number of participants is limited to 20.
At least 20 places are for international students with a short-term mobility grant under the ERASMUS+ program. In case of vacancies the remaining places are for students from the University of Catania.
The minimum number to function is 15 participants.
Attendance of at least 75% of the blended course is mandatory. The assessment will consist of carrying out the laboratory work report (25%) and a written exam covering all the subjects dealt with in the presential theoretical component (75%). A positive assessment leads to the attribution of the respective training certificate (according to the UNICT Table of Fees and Charges).
Participants who aim to present a poster communication must submit a Scientific Abstract (with title, authors, affiliation, abstract, references and acknowledgments), when applying to be evaluated by the organization.
IT IS MANDATORY FOR ALL THE PARTICIPANTS (ERASMUS+ and NON ERASMUS+) TO REGISTER THROUGHOUT THE ONLINE FORM AT THE LINK INCLUDING SPECIFIC DIETARY REQUIREMENTS :
https://webform.unict.it/en/bip-roadmap-modern-drug-discovery
NEW: ALL THE PARTICIPANTS ARE KINDLY REQUESTED TO INFORM (SEE CONTACTS AND CC salvatore.guccione@unict.it) ON THE ARRIVAL TIME AND THE HOTEL OR PLACE OF THE STAY BY (NOT LATER THAN) JUNE 10.
