Chemistry 471: Medicinal Chemistry (draft; subject to change)

Spring 2017
Instructor: Lisa J. Whalen
Office: SMLC (Science Math Learning Center) 289A
Telephone: 277-0268
E-mail:

lwhalen@unm.edu

Office Hours: MW, 12:30-1:30 pm, R 11:00 am-noon (Thursday sessions held at CAPS in Zimmerman)
Course Materials:
1. Textbooks: Graham Patrick, An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry, 4th Ed., Oxford, 2013, $10 on
amazon.com.
E.J. Corey, Barbara Czako, Laszlo Kurti, Molecules and Medicine, Wiley, 2007, $14 on
amazon.com.
2. Class Emails: I will use email to send out important announcements. Your preferred email address as
you have indicated with UNM will be the recipient of these emails.
3. UNM Learn: Handouts and problem sets given in class will be posted on learn.unm.edu.
Study Hints
All lectures and field trips are required: The lectures are designed to help you understand the course
material and to help you discern what material is important to know. Test questions usually require you to
apply skills and knowledge discussed and practiced in the lectures.
Study Habits: Don't ever let yourself get behind. Read the appropriate material before coming to class.
Functional Groups and Reactions from Chemistry 301 and Chemistry 302: It will be necessary for you to
review the reactivity of certain functional groups studied in both of these courses, especially oxidation
reactions.
Tests and Grades
A total of 550 points will be possible for the course. These will take the form of four individual open-note
quizzes, each worth 50 points, 10 problem sets/worksheets/discussion exercises each worth 20 points, a
final exam worth 50 points, and a group PowerPoint presentation worth 100 points.
Each quiz will be given during the regular lecture on the day it is scheduled in the Syllabus. Each quiz will
emphasize the material immediately preceding it.
Your grade in the course will be determined by the number of points you actually earn, following any
adjustment, out of the 400 possible in accordance with the scale given below. Credit (CR) will be awarded
only for work of C quality or better.
A- to A+ ............. 495-550
B- to B+ .............. 440-494
C to C+............... 385-439
D ....................... .330-385
F ....................... .0-329
Course grades are not negotiable. Do not ask for your grade to be changed. The answer is NO.
Please do point out mistakes as they will always be corrected promptly.
1

Test anxiety and learning disabilities: If you have problems with test anxiety or other special need, contact
the Counseling Services Center at 277-3136 or the Accessibility Resource Center at 277-3506 for
counseling. If special testing arrangements are required, the Accessibility Resource Center will contact
me.
If you have any other special need, please contact me following the first class meeting so that suitable
accommodations can be provided.
Withdrawal
Keep in mind that $150 of your deposit is non-refundable for the Schloss Dyck Study Abroad program.
Cheating - DON'T DO IT!
I do not tolerate cheating in my classes. If you are found to be cheating, at a minimum, you will receive a
zero on that quiz which cannot be dropped, and you may be dismissed from the class with a grade of F.
The incident may also be reported to the Dean of Students, to your own college dean, and to the admissions offices of professional schools to which you apply.
Because of the disruption that results during a time when everyone is under a lot of pressure, I do not
dismiss, or even try to move, cheaters during a quiz. I may also delay acting until after one or more
subsequent quizzes to see if this is a pattern of behavior for you before taking the matter to the Chairman
and/or Dean. Just because nothing happens immediately, does not mean you have gotten away with it.
If you think I have observed you cheating, drop the class immediately.
Class Disruptions - DONT DO IT!
Cellular phones (including hands-free), smartphones, iPods or any other type of Adult Pacifiers are to be
TURNED OFF while class or a quiz is underway. I will point you out in front of the class every time I
observe you texting during lecture, so be prepared to be embarrassed if you are caught. If I observe you
on your phone, looking at a text message, or using headphones during a test, I will presume you are
cheating. If you must be reached in an emergency, have the person call 277-7872 and a messenger will
be sent to the class.
Calculators - Programmable and smartphone calculators are not permitted for quizzes.

SYLLABUS
Lecture/worksheet/quiz I, Saturday, ???, 10-noon: Drug action, distribution, metabolism, administration and
dosing (Chapter 11 of An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry)
Lecture/worksheet/quiz II, Saturday, ???, 10-noon: Finding leads, specificity, selectivity, assays, tests,
screening, potential drug sources (Chapter 12 of An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry)
Lecture/worksheet/quiz III, Saturday, ???, 10-noon, Structure-activity relationships, binding roles, isosteres,
drug optimization and improving resistance to degradation (Chapters 13/14 of An Introduction to Medicinal
Chemistry)
Lecture/worksheet/quiz IV, Saturday, ???, 10-noon, Resisting or increasing drug metabolism, targeting
drugs, prodrugs (Chapters 13/14 of An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry)
Final exam: Saturday, ???, over Chapters 11-14 of An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry

Visit to Veterans Administration Cooperative Studies Program (mandatory), week of May 8-12, worksheet
V
May 17, Lecture/worksheet VI, Chapter 15: Preclinical and clinical trials, Lecture/worksheet VII, Chapter 15:
Patenting, regulatory affairs, chemical and process development
May 18, Merck and Paul Ehrlich Institute background and history, visit Merck in Darmstadt / worksheet VIII
May 19, Visit Paul Ehrlich Institute in Langen / worksheet IX
May 20, Visit Goethe Universitt in Frankfurt
May 21, Free day in Frankfurt, return to Schloss Dyck
May 22, Analyze FDA new drug application packets in pairs and create presentations, worksheet X
May 23, Analyze FDA new drug application packets in pairs and create presentations
May 24, Group PowerPoint presentations on FDA approval/denial profiles