Last Modified: January 4, 2001

Pharmacy 580 Syllabus (Jan. - Apr., 2001)


PHARM 580 Introduction to Computer-Aided Drug Design


This is an introductory course designed to provide students with the background and a hands-on understanding of techniques involved in computer-aided drug design, including bioinformatics, molecular modeling, molecular simulation, docking and QSAR. Prerequisite: Consent of the Faculty.

Students are expected to have some background in computers, elementary calculus, chemistry and biochemistry.


Lectures:Tuesday and Thursdays
11:00 am - 12:20 pm
Rm 2023 Dent/Pharm Building
LaboratoryWednesday
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Rm 4064 Dent/Pharm Building
Instructor:Dr. David Wishart
Rm 2123 Dent/Pharm Building
Contact:ph. 492-0383
email - dsw@redpoll.pharmacy.ualberta.ca
TA:Trent Bjorndahl (492-7279)
Textbooks:None
Evaluation:Assignments (20%)
Mid-Term (30%)
Final Project (50%)

Detailed Course Outline - 2001
Jan. 9:Introduction, examples and overview
Jan. 11: Review of computers and computer terminology
Jan. 16: The Human Genome Project, genes, proteins, structure
Jan. 18: Bioinformatics: sequence databases and comparisons (algorithms)
Jan. 23:From sequence to structure
Jan. 25:From sequence to structure cont'd (databases)
Jan. 30:Molecular mechanics and energy functions
Feb. 1:Molecular mechanics
Feb. 6:The hydrophobic effect
Feb. 8:Structure comparisons & Energy minimization
Feb. 13:Monte Carlo algorithms, genetic algorithms
Feb. 15:Molecular dynamics, free energy calculations, simulated annealing
Feb. 19-23:Reading Week
Feb. 27:Small molecule structure generation - distance geometry
Mar. 1:Small molecule structure generation - databases (cont'd)
Mar. 6:Mid-Term Exam
Mar. 8:Mid-term review, discussion of presentations
Mar. 13:Dock, Autodock
Mar. 15:Research, Dockvision
Mar. 20:Receptor Mapping, Pharmacophore matching, deNovo design
Mar. 22:Introduction to QSAR and 3-D QSAR
Mar. 27:Case studies of HIV, ACE and PNP inhibitos
Mar. 29:Case studies cont'd, SAR by NMR, SAR by X-ray
Apr. 3:Future perspectives, miscellaneous topics
Apr. 5:Student presentations
Apr. 10:Student presentations
Apr. 12:Student presentations

Laboratory Schedule
DateTitleProgram
Jan. 17:Bioinformatics and the InternetNetscape/Internet Explorer
Jan. 24:Protein Sequence AnalysisPepTool
Jan. 31:Molecular GraphicsRasmol/Chime
Feb. 7:Molecular GraphicsMolMol
Feb. 14:Molecular Graphics & Evaluating Protein StructureSwiss PDBviewer/VADAR
Feb. 28:Molecular Mechanics and EnergeticsBiomer-B/Hyperchem Lite
Mar. 7:Lab CancelledLab Cancelled
Mar. 14:Small Molecule Generation and AssessmentAlchemy/QSAR
Mar. 21:Molecular DockingDockVision/SAPP

Site maintained by: Trent Bjorndahl