Drug Design?

[ChemE 1112]

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I am currently in my first year of a Chemical engineering. In pursuing this degree, I wanted to work in the creation of new medicines. My question is as follows. What is the field that you would get into to design new medicines? What is the major you would choose? and finally, Is Pharamacy school the correct way to go when it comes to drug design, or would I be better off going with a ChemE, BioChemE, BioChem, Chem, or BioE ?

 

[smileyangel11]

What is the major you would choose? and finally, Is Pharamacy school the correct way to go when it comes to drug design, or would I be better off going with a ChemE, BioChemE, BioChem, Chem, or BioE ?

(1) Do not get PHARMD if you want to do drug design. Most pharmacist have very little if anything to do with test tubes and drawing molecules.

(2) ChemE is a good choice for undergrad. You probably eventually want a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry.

(3) Pharmacokinetics in PharmD curriculum maybe useful as an elective for you. We sometimes get grad school students in Med Chem enrolled in that with us.

Good Luck!

 

[johnep34]

Many meds now designed on a computer. Do a few googles. The idea is to design a molecule that mimics an active agent or blocks a metabolite etc. Good knowledge of stereochemistry would be helpful.
johnep

 

[brittnic2008]

I am currently in my first year of a Chemical engineering. In pursuing this degree, I wanted to work in the creation of new medicines. My question is as follows. What is the field that you would get into to design new medicines? What is the major you would choose? and finally, Is Pharamacy school the correct way to go when it comes to drug design, or would I be better off going with a ChemE, BioChemE, BioChem, Chem, or BioE ?

Well pharmacy school isn't necessarily the way to go. A PharmD will have a very good knowledge of current drugs and targets for drugs, but not necessarily have the training to "make" their own medicine. Chem. engineering is probably what you want to do and you will need to have a good knowledge of organic chemistry.

Your graduate classes may be taught under the pharmacy school umbrella if you are at a research institution, but if you want to make drugs, don't go for a PharmD program.

There really isn't one track to "make medicine." You will need a PhD obviously in some sort of chemistry field -- probably med. chem. Chem. engineering is probably the best for your undergrad degree if your school offers it, but biochem would also work. Definitely don't get a biology degree!!!!

 

[WVUPharm2007]

Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, and Pharmacology would be good programs to look into.

 

[StewardshipDude]

I applaud you and wish the the absolute best. Admirable work. Just be prepared that designing novel agents requires capital. Getting people to give you that capital requires providing them some return. It's getting harder because of attacks on patents and reimbursement. Then if you do get a noval agent that provides value and dare to suggest a premium to recoup costs and cover risk, some pimp faced nerd in the basement puts restrictions around it's use that effectively cripples it's commercial success. Your company will shut down their R&D platform for things that address unmet needs and instead focus on a tenth right side isomer of a PPI, statin or SSRI There's simply better(in terms of returns) places for people to put their capital. You might end up back in the hospital like me instead of doing bench research that serves mankind.

 

[tackett26]

I am currently in my first year of a Chemical engineering. In pursuing this degree, I wanted to work in the creation of new medicines. My question is as follows. What is the field that you would get into to design new medicines? What is the major you would choose? and finally, Is Pharamacy school the correct way to go when it comes to drug design, or would I be better off going with a ChemE, BioChemE, BioChem, Chem, or BioE ?

I would go for a PhD. in medicinal chemistry check here for more details. In my opinion a PharmD/PhD is also a good way to go. http://pharmacy.unc.edu/faculty-research/divisions/mcnp