Medicinal chemistry is the application of chemical principles and research techniques to the design, development, and understanding of pharmaceutical agents. Bringing a drug to market requires expertise in a variety of fields (biochemistry, physiology, toxicology, marketing, finance, law, etc.), but the ultimate product delivered is the drug itself – typically an organic molecule. Hence, medicinal chemistry draws heavily on organic chemistry and physical chemistry as well as on biological and biochemical principles. This course will examine basic principles of drug discovery and design and will introduce students to pharmacology. Students will gain detailed knowledge of the chemistry of a few selected drug molecules.