Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?

This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

Can I just enroll in a single course?

Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Can I take the course for free?

No, you cannot take this course for free. When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.

Drug Hunting: The Science of Making New Medicines Specialization

Drug Hunting: The Science of Making New Medicines Specialization

Understanding Drug Discovery and Development

Instructors: Erland Stevens, PhD

Included with Coursera Plus

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6 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

4.8

(223 reviews)

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

6 course series

Get in-depth knowledge of a subject

4.8

(223 reviews)

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

4 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

You will learn the science and considerations behind the complex, challenging, and iterative hunt for novel new medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Preclinical topics such as drug targets, molecular libraries, screening, assays, drug optimization, structure-activity relationships, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and formulation will be covered.

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Shareable certificate

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Taught in English

76 practice exercises

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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Advance your subject-matter expertise

Learn in-demand skills from university and industry experts
Master a subject or tool with hands-on projects
Develop a deep understanding of key concepts
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Specialization - 6 course series

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.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will develop their knowledge of preclinical drug discovery through a combination of short 5-minute videos covering selected topics, accompanied by additional readings and problems designed to reinforce and deepen understanding of those topics.

Introduction to Drug Hunting

Course 19 hours

What you'll learn

The different steps of preclinical drug discovery and clinical trials; introduction to the subject of drug hunting.

Skills you'll gain

Drug Development, Clinical Trials, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, Clinical Research, Pharmaceuticals, Safety Assurance, Pre-Clinical Development, Competitive Intelligence, and Biochemistry

Targets, Assays & Screening

Course 28 hours

What you'll learn

Promising compounds used in the hunt for novel drugs.  Types of assays & methods used to screen molecule libraries.  Methods for hit validation.

Skills you'll gain

Drug Development, Biochemical Assays, Verification And Validation, Pharmaceutical Terminology, Clinical Research, Pharmacology, Laboratory Testing, Pre-Clinical Development, and Pharmaceuticals

Pharmacokinetics

Course 312 hours

What you'll learn

This course begins with a review of routes of administration, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, & excretion), and the use of in vivo drug concentration-time data to determine key pharmacokinetic parameters, like volume of distribution, half-life and clearance.  The course then emphasizes in vitro assays that allow rapid prediction of ADME and PK properties for evaluation of new compounds.  The later stages of the course focus on how drug discovery teams study this PK/PD relationship, as well as dose size and frequency predictions which ultimately assist in selection of a compound for advancement into the clinic.  

Skills you'll gain

Drug Interaction, Pre-Clinical Development, Clinical Research, Medication Administration, Laboratory Research, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Terminology, Drug Development, and Pharmaceuticals

Preclinical Safety

Course 46 hours

What you'll learn

Patient safety is of paramount importance for any drug discovery program.  This course looks at some of the lessons learned which have influenced how promising molecules are currently evaluated for safety risks.  In vitro and in vivo toxicology and safety studies are discussed, why they are performed, and how the data they provide guide a safety risk assessment, including determining a therapeutic index or safety window for a drug.  Finally, the course will look at how safety data guide human dose selection, and some of the studies performed during clinical development.

Skills you'll gain

Pre-Clinical Development, Drug Development, Patient Safety, Pharmacology, Risk Analysis, Drug Interaction, Safety Standards, Clinical Trials, Clinical Research, and Pharmaceuticals

Lead Selection & Optimization

Course 58 hours

What you'll learn

This course covers the stages of drug discovery in which promising compounds (leads) are identified, their optimal and suboptimal characteristics determined, and the suboptimal characteristics optimized to create a candidate suitable for the clinic.  The course is built around a case study on the discovery of an antimalarial therapy.  Assays useful for screening new compounds are outlined, examples of selection criteria for leads are discussed - such as potency, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics - and the structure activity relationships that contribute to the optimization of a lead series are considered.  The phenotypic approach used by the antimalarial program will be briefly contrasted with a target-based program on a different target.

Skills you'll gain

Drug Development, Biochemical Assays, Infectious Diseases, Pharmacology, Chemistry, Clinical Trials, Pharmaceuticals, and Pre-Clinical Development

Pre-formulation

Course 68 hours

What you'll learn

In this course we will focus on how active compounds are developed into a formulation suitable for dosing in animal studies and early human clinical trials.  Factors such as the route of administration, enhancing the solubility of the drug substance, the crystalline form of the drug substance, drug substance vs. drug product, storage requirements, and how special requirements of the patient population play a role in the design of an ideal formulation will be covered.  Finally, some of the differences encountered when formulating a biologic vs. a small molecule will be discussed.

Skills you'll gain

Drug Development, Clinical Trials, Clinical Research, Manufacturing and Production, Pharmacotherapy, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Pre-Clinical Development