M1 Innovative Drugs
The master’s first year allows students to consolidate their basic knowledge in preparation for the second year’s specialisation.
It has opened for the first time in September 2020.
UE1 – Basic concepts to pharmaceutical technology
Contents:
In this unit, basic concepts for pharmaceutical technology will be developed from the characterization of excipients and drugs, to the development and characterization of drug delivery systems through different administration channels until they are stabilized during storage.
Acquired skills:
- Introduction to preformulation and drug development
- Polymers and surfactants for pharmaceutical sciences
- Formulation and evaluation of various drug delivery systems (from liquid to solid forms)
- Stability of dosage forms
UE2 – MOOC: Nanoscience Understanding
Contents:
This MOOC is mutualised with the Paris-Sud University (Paris-Saclay since 01/01/2020). There are six main themes on the MOOC, themselves divided in several parts at their turn divided in sequences, for a result of 140 videos of approximately 5 minutes each (a total of 11h30).
Acquired skills:
- Knowledge of nano-objects and their applications
- Knowledge of manufacturing processes and characterization methods
- Knowledge of different fields in nanosciences including nanochemistry, nanophysic and nanobiology
UE3 and UE10 – Molecular and functional Imaging
Contents:
Molecular and functional imaging is a learning course divided in two parts: (i) UE3 – Imaging techniques and tracers and (ii) UE10 – Preclinical and clinical applications. Through these units, basic concepts of preclinical/clinical imaging will be taught, including contrast agents and radiopharmaceuticals. Then, some applications of those approaches will be developed related to various topic such as infectiology, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and so on.
Acquired skills:
- Introduction to imaging technologies
- Introduction to imaging agents (contrast, molecular imaging probes)
- Ability to analyze scientific results in the field of preclinical and medical imaging
- Ability to write a bibliographic report in the field of imaging
UE4 and UE11 – Metabolic biochemistry and regulatory pathways
Contents:
Divided in two teaching units throughout both of the semesters, this unit will focus on the structure and metabolism of lipoproteins. It will also address the main analytical tools (biochemistry, genetic, molecular biology) for characterizing and studying their metabolism, and, finally, the role of lipoproteins in cardiovascular diseases.
Acquired skills:
- Knowledge of the structure and the main components of lipoproteins
- Knowledge of the main actors involved in lipoprotein metabolism (enzymes, transcriptional regulators, cellular receptors)
- To apprehend the main analytical tools in lipid metabolism
- Understanding the role of lipoproteins in cardiovascular diseases.
UE5 – Drug Design
Contents:
This teaching unit includes the following items:
- Basic concepts in drug life’s cycle, from the drug discovery to the approval process
- Drug design strategies to discover new synthetic and natural active pharmaceutical ingredients
- Clinical research methodology
- Introduction to the common technical document
Acquired skills:
- Know the different steps leading to the approval of new pharmaceuticals and the strategies for designing synthetic and natural drugs
- Understand the methodology and the issues of clinical trials
- Know the specifications of a technical document for the registration of pharmaceuticals
UE6 – Cellular Enineering and Biology – Oncology
Contents:
In this teaching unit, students will acquire the basic knowledge of cell biology, immunology and toxicology required to appreciate the modes of action of innovative medicines, especially in oncology. Through practical works, they will also be able to learn basic techniques of cell engineering and analysis.
Acquired skills:
- Basic knowledge of cell biology and engineering as well as immunology with their applications in cancerology
- Basic knowledge in drug toxicology
UE7 – Spectroscopic Methods of Characterization
Contents:
This unit will explore the concepts and the uses of different analytic techniques such as NMR, UV-visible, and IR spectroscopy. A focus will be made on spectra analyses and on how to characterize a molecule. Molecular modelling and theoritical chemistry will also be adressed in details.
Acquired skills:
- To know the physical and chemical concepts on which rely NMR, UV-visible and IR spectroscopy
- Be able to interpret NMR, UV-visible and IR spectra to determine the structure of an unknow molecule or to describe a known one
- To understand the bases of theoritical chemistry (different types of chemical bonds, molecular orbital study, group theory, and so on)
- To know how to use molecular modelling to anticipate or rationalize a molecule’s properties
Optical Spectroscopy and Molecular Spectroscopy: Prerequisites
- Basics of quantum mechanics: Schrödinger equation, meaning of the wavefunction, names and shape of atomic orbitals
- Basics of spring classical mechanics
- Basics of absorption spectroscopy:
- “Light” properties: definition of wavelength λ, frequency ν; phoron energy E=hν=hc/λ;
- shape of an IR spectrum
- shape of a UV-visible spectrum
- How to use a Molecular Orbital diagram: shape of sigma and pi orbitals
- Basics of chemical kinetics
- Chemical naming
Nice book to help you: Physical Chemistry, by P. Atkins
UE8 – Biomolecule and heteroelement chemistry – Pharmaceutical chemistry
Contents:
This training aims at helping students understand the close links that exist between chemistry and biology. More specifically, non-biologist students will discover the general aspects of medicinal chemistry, applications of natural products and on how to use molecular modelling in drug discovery. Non-chemist students will learn the molecule behind a natural product, how chemistry can be used to synthetize or understand biomolecules (especially amino-acid chemistry and glycochemistry). An additional aim of the present teaching is to prepare students for the second year of the master, during which they should be comfortable both in biology and in chemistry.
Acquired skills:
- To learn general aspects of medicinal chemistry (lead discovery strategies, structure activity relationships, pharmacokinetics, and so on)
- To know about the different natural products used as pharmaceuticals
- To discover molecular modelling principles and applications in drug discovery
- To understand how to use spectroscopy in drug discovery
- To be initiated to carbohydrate chemistry
- To know the bases of amino-acid chemistry (structure, chirality, nomenclature, synthesis, chemical and biological properties)
UE9 – Regulations – Scientific culture
Contents:
The aim of this teaching unit is to provide the basic requirements for understanding the development of a medical product, i.e. the basic concepts of pharmacology and pharmaceutical law, as well as cultural and historical conceptions. A focus will be made on drug regulation with an introduction on regulatory affairs. Students will thus be introduced to the definition of a medical product but also to the notions of intellectial property, marketing authorization and so on.
Acquired skills:
Thus, at the end of this course, students will have acquired or reviewed the basic concepts allowing them to recontextualize the master’s other courses in a medicine’s life cycle.
UE12 – Scientific Project Management
Contents:
The aim of this teaching unit is to particular soft skills making it possible to cover the wide range of project management. It will be mostly supervised by management professionals through the study of practical cases related to research and development in the field of medicines.
Acquired skills:
- To manage a basic project
- Good oral expression / to perform a good oral presentation
- Leadership / Force of conviction
- Management of practical cases in stressful situations