The course aims at providing students with the fundamental knowledge about chemical-physical and toxicological properties, and utilization of the major classes of drugs. A particular attention will be devoted to the comprehension of the mechanisms of action of the drugs at the molecular level, and of the relationships between their chemical structure and biological activity.
The course will also deal with the chemical approach to study the principal biosynthetic pathways. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of organic chemistry to understand the bases of the biosynthetic processes of some organic natural products.