Molecules That Save Lives

Synthetic drugs created modern medicine. Some drugs make us feel better and some drugs truly save lives. In this interdisciplinary semilab, we will explore the chemistry and physiology of synthetic life-saving medicines. We will begin by conducting chemistry experiments to assemble a drug that saved millions of lives. We will then learn how to measure the amounts of drugs using instrumental analysis, a collection of techniques widely used in chemistry laboratories and forensic science. Next, we will conduct biological experiments to learn how to evaluate the efficacy of drugs before we can give them to the patients. We will then branch out into medicinal chemistry and pharmacology with hands-on investigation of prodrugs, biologically inactive molecules that get converted into active drugs inside the body. This semilab will transform your perception of medications. The knowledge obtained here will help you embrace the interplay between chemistry and biology and gain deeper understanding of physiological processes and medicine.