Fast Forward Medical Innovation
We offer a fully virtual, self-paced course designed to introduce participants to the drug discovery process.
Academic Drug Discovery is a collaboration between Fast Forward Medical Innovation and Michigan Drug Discovery, with support from Innovation Partnerships. As participants progress through each unit, they will learn the individual steps and critical stages for any drug discovery project, with a particular focus on projects being conducted within the academic environment at the University of Michigan.
The lessons in this course – developed by 18 different subject matter experts – focus primarily on small molecule therapeutics, however, many of the points illustrated apply equally to other kinds of drugs, including antibodies and RNA.
When registering, U-M users log in using your Level 1 password and the course will appear on your dashboard. Non-U-M users can log in using the Guest Social option.
Fast Forward Medical Innovation offers a comprehensive collection of educational programs and training tailored for busy faculty, students, clinicians, and researchers across the University of Michigan, and across the state, region, and nation.
Unit 1: Introduction to Drug Discovery
Overview of Drug Discovery
U-M Drug Discovery Ecosystem
Unit 2: Assessing Commercial Potential
Unmet Clinical Need
Market Dynamics
Intellectual Property
Target Product Profile
Commercial Pathway
Unit 3: Advancing Drug Discovery Projects
Target Identification and Validation
Assay Development and Finding Chemical Matter
Lead Selection
Lead Optimization
In Vivo Assays
Candidate Selection (Pharmaceuticals/Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls)
Pre-IND Studies
Unit 4: Entering the Clinical Phase
Filing an IND
Clinical Trials
This course has up to 20 hours of instruction, which can be navigated freely, allowing you to select individual lesson topics or units that are especially pertinent to your research today. You are not required to take the whole course, but if you are engaged in drug discovery, it is recommended that you become cognizant of all the different aspects and considerations involved in the discovery of a novel therapeutic agent.
If you wish to obtain a certificate of completion, you must complete the entire course. Completion includes passing each end of lesson quiz with a score of 80% or higher. Once completed, you will find your certificate available for download/print within the Canvas course.
Building 520, 3rd Floor
2800 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
