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Learn about different pieces of the puzzle of the drug discovery process by developing drug candidates that target thymidylate kinase from Plasmodium falciparum (PfTMK) to tackle Malaria.
The goal of this Build Project is to do a deep dive on what is involved in a drug discovery project through focusing on developing drug candidates targeting thymidylate kinase from Plasmodium falciparum (PfTMK) to tackle malaria. You will navigate different stages of the drug discovery process, what techniques can be used at different stages, what to expect at different stages, what potential challenges are, and how to tackle challenges that arise. In this Build Project, you will learn the principles behind a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art technologies utilized in the drug discovery process and understand which tools can be used to address specific questions. Knowledge from this project will greatly benefit those who are interested in a career in drug development.
By the end of this Build Project, you will have constructed a comprehensive slide deck illustrating your thought and decision-making process on how you would tackle this challenging drug discovery project.
General introductory workshop going over background of the project & drug development process, expectations, and deliverable. You will start generating introduction slides for the project slide deck.
Introduction of protein generation and its significance in drug development projects. You will decide on the expression system of use, you will use this information to continue to build on the project slide deck.
Going over popular hit identification methodologies and rationales in typical drug discovery projects. you will decide on specific techniques to use, you will use this information to continue to build on the project slide deck.
You will learn about popular biophysical techniques used in hit validation and characterization with respect to your rationales, principles, and expected outcomes. You will decide on a biophysical technique of choice and will use this information to continue to build on the project slide deck.
Introduction to typical biochemistry techniques that are widely utilized in drug discovery projects. You will make decisions on which biochemistry methodologies to adopt in your drug discovery project.
Learn about typical structural biology methodologies adopted in drug discovery projects – principle, rationale and significance. You will narrow down upon which technique to be included into your project slide deck.
Introduction to popular cell-based techniques used in drug discovery projects, and briefly touch on considerations in animal studies. You will have a chance to decide on what cell-based methodologies and which animal model to utilize to support your project slide deck.
You will present your own tailored drug discovery project using the project slide deck they developed during the whole project. You will receive feedback from both instructor and peers.
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Mengshen Chen is a Biological Sciences Build Fellow at Dream Venture Labs, where he works with students leading projects in biological sciences.
Mengshen is a senior scientist, protein science at Valo Health, where he focuses on drug development projects.
Mengshen has over 10 years of experience in the biological sciences field, with over 7 years in academia and over 3 years in industry.
He holds a Ph.D. degree in biological sciences.
A fun fact about Mengshen is that he greatly enjoys cooking and plays basketball regularly.