Previously Offered Courses
Chemistry for Health Sciences
The study of chemistry forms an important foundation for all students of the health sciences. The organisation of the human body begins with chemicals (atoms and molecules) making up its simplest or smallest scale level of organisation. Chemistry allows us to understand how cells, tissues and organs are formed, how these substances react with each other and their environment, and how these substances behave. This unit will develop the essential concepts of chemistry necessary for students studying health and biological science with topics introduced and applied in a contextualised manner relevant to their disciplines. As part of your early biomedical science training, you need to explore the chemical composition of the human body and have an understanding of chemical processes relevant to biology. This unit will form an essential foundation to further study in the areas of health sciences.
Chemical Structure and Reactivity
Chemistry relates to all aspects of our lives. An understanding of chemistry is needed to make sense of our world and to address big challenges faced by our society. Together with its companion unit General Chemistry, this unit provides you with a foundation in the science of Chemistry. It builds on the fundamental scientific concepts and skills introduced in first semester. For Chemistry majors, it provides grounding in the sub-discipline of organic chemistry that you will encounter in second and third year. For students majoring in Biology, it provides the chemical framework necessary for the understanding of the behaviour of organic molecules in complex biological systems.
Drug Discovery and Design
This unit provides a brief introduction to the history and evolution of drug discovery, including the role of the pharmaceutical industry, to current-day methods including rational computer-aided drug design, drug targets and screening libraries. Case studies may include synthetic hormones, narcotics, chemotherapeutic agents and performance-enhancing compounds. You will be introduced to the concepts of chemical structure and structure-activity relationships. The unit complements 'Drug Action' offered in the same semester.