The aim of this course is to provide an outline of the basic principles and methods of protein crystallography, learning how crystallographic data can contribute today to the different phases of pharmaceutical research. The objective of this course is to show how the different stages of drug discovery research can benefit from the already available structural knowledge; to point out how experimental structure determination by X-ray analysis can be integrated into the hit/lead finding, triaging, validation and optimization phases inside Structure-based drug design (SBDD). It will emphasize the strengths, usefulness and application of protein crystallography, so that any medicinal chemist engaging in a new research program and having access to a structural biology group, can gauge if, and how, his project could potentially benefit from this technology. Medicinal chemists, in particular those working in the industry, have access to large, public as well as proprietary, depositories of refined crystal structures. To make proper use of these data, it is essential for them to be well aware of the limitations and potential uncertainties associated with X-ray.
- Teacher: Donatella Boschi
- Teacher: Osman Asghar Mirza