On Tuesday, July 6th, the first-year Master in Drug Discovery and Development students presented their research proposals as part of the Directed Research course, which is considered the first part of the approval process of their research proposals. The meeting had all the MDD and pharmaceutical sciences department faculty with their wide range of experiences and specialties. The proposals presented were from a broad range of research areas in drug discovery, including the discovery of potential anti-cancer agents from marine sources, enhancement of the action of anti-cancer agents, identifying the role of specific genetic modifications on side effects in cancer therapies, and computer-aided design and synthesis of novel potential anti-cancer drugs. In the area of Drug Development, a student presented his research proposal on the development of targeted nano-formulation to enhance the delivery of a specific drug to its target inside the body.
All students presented some of the preliminary data they currently have during the meeting. Several students have participated with their initial findings in international conferences and meetings such as DUPHAT and the AUE competition.
Students attending and faculty members had rich and constructive discussions and suggestions on students’ proposals. Faculty members evaluated the presentations, which will also be followed with proposals evaluations as the last stage for the students to start their research work in the second academic year of the MDD program.
