Biopharmaceuticals And Drug Discovery Assessment Brief 2024-25

Assessment Task 1:

Group poster presentation and individual written summary (task weighting 50%) - 1000 word limit for individual written summary

Overview

The coursework will require you to work within a group to prepare and present a scientific poster presentation on the drug discovery process leading to the development of a particular biopharmaceutical or small molecule drug. The poster presentation should be pitched to an audience who would have a good understanding of the field, so in depth discussion of the research can take place.

A poster presentation is a way of communicating research and is widely used in the scientific community both within industry and academia. A poster would usually consist of a series of sections with brief text, graphs and diagrams, including an Introduction and Conclusions. It should include a list of references. Please see later sections within this document,information provided on Blackboard and in teaching sessions for guidance on producing a poster in the suitable scientific format.

The biopharmaceutical or small molecule drug will be chosen by you and agreed with the module leader. The poster should outline the key stages of development of the small molecule or biopharmaceutical, including relevant research literature and / or clinical trial data. Aspects of the drug discovery process which have been covered in the module lecture schedule should be referred to in the poster - see indicative content below.

Producing the presentation

You will be allocated into groups. The group will choose the biopharmaceutical or small molecule drug to discuss within the poster, carry out research on the drug development process for your chosen biopharmaceutical or small molecule and develop a poster which you will present and discuss with an academic assessor.

The poster should follow the standard drug pipeline process. Indicative content that could be included in the poster:

• Target discovery - identification and validation of the drug target, including the pathogenic mechanism of the target disease
• Target discovery - development of screening and functional assays
• Any impact of pharmacogenomics on drug efficacy or safety
• Small molecule drug development
• Biopharmaceuticals and protein therapy development
• Pre-clinical drug development including issues of pharmacokinetics and toxicology
• Clinical trials

Some areas may be covered in more depth, depending on the information available in the literature.

It will be up to your group to work together to decide who will be responsible for which sections and how this will be presented on the poster. The group should all attend the poster presentation session and all members should be prepared to explain which area of the poster their research contributed to, and to be able to answer questions on their research area.

References:

You can use citations throughout your presentation (eg Leyland et al, 2017). The citations and references should be presented in APA format (MSc Pharmacology and Biotechnology students) or RSC format (MSc Pharmaceutical Analysis students).

Using Microsoft Office to produce your presentation

In order to produce the poster you will need to use Microsoft PowerPoint. A template will be provided on Blackboard.

The poster presentations will take place over a two hour session. Groups that do not prepare their presentation for the allocated time slot will risk failing the assessment. The finished presentation should be uploaded as a PowerPoint file to the blackboard submission point by the allocated deadline. Students that do not upload their presentation by this time will receive either a capped mark of 50% if submission is late by 24 hours, or a grade of 0.

Marking criteria

40% of the overall mark will be contributed through the group work. You will gain marks for the overall design of the poster presentation, scientific content and how as a group you present and answer questions on your work. 60% of the overall mark will be through demonstration of individual contribution to the poster presentation and underlying research. This will be assessed by your individual ability to communicate and present your work during the poster presentation and a written piece of work in which you discuss in depth the research you have undertaken for your section. See the assessment grid for further guidance.

Assessment Learning Outcomes

This assessment allows you to develop skills in scientific research, writing, presenting and discussing scientific findings.

This assessment supports the achievement of two of the learning outcomes of the module:

LO3: Search for, select and critically assess papers in the drug discovery literature and communicate your findings in a coherent and scientific manner.
LO4: Show an understanding of current issues and limitations of the drug discovery process and how research contributes to the development of novel biopharmaceuticals and small molecule drugs