To teach principles that govern the process of modern drug discovery and development. Students in the course follow a path similar to that taken by real-life drug developers by learning important elements of the drug design process in a logical order.
The main goal of CHEM 161 is to teach principles of enzyme mechanism via studies of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition. Topics covered include the derivation and analysis of rate equations for single- and multi-substrate reactions, analysis of rate equations in the presence of inhibitors, pH dependence of enzymatic reactions and pH dependence inhibitor binding affinity. Transition state theory of chemical reactions will be outlined and its applications to enzymes will be discussed. The origin, measurement, and utility of kinetic isotope effects to elucidate rate-limiting steps in catalysis will be discussed. Computational and experimental approaches to determine transition state structures and to design transition state analogs as powerful inhibitors will be utilized.