Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Continuing Education Unit at the University of Baghdad/College of Pharmacy, held an in-person workshop entitled “Rational Drug Design in Pharmaceutical Chemistry” delivered by Assistant Lecturer Dr. Halah Abdul Sahib, a faculty member at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department.
The workshop aimed to highlight the importance of integration between biological and chemical knowledge in the field of drug discovery and design, and to demonstrate the role of this integration in developing more effective and selective drugs, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing adverse effects.
The workshop included several topics, including an introduction to the concept of Rational Drug Design, a comparison between traditional and rational approaches to drug discovery, and an overview of the fundamental stages involved in drug discovery and development. In addition, the workshop addressed the study of the structure–activity relationship (SAR) and its role in guiding the optimization of the pharmacological properties of active compounds.
The workshop concluded that the pivotal importance of structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies as a fundamental tool for enhancing drug selectivity and therapeutic potency. Furthermore, it highlighted that successful rational drug design requires close integration between a deep understanding of molecular biology and synthetic chemistry, enabling the development of safer and more efficient pharmaceutical compounds.
