Ab. Rashid Wani

Pharmaceutical Chemistry combines knowledge of the biological, medical, and physical sciences in the study of the scientific aspect of drug therapy. The emphasis is on the chemical nature of the reactions and interactions involved in drug therapy. The students will receive a solid background in the aspects of chemistry the most relevant to drugs: physical, organic, and analytical chemistry. They will also learn the fundamental aspects of the synthesis, manufacture, use, and mode of action of drugs. Pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as a medicine or medication, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance  - or product comprising such - intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment or prevention of disease. 

Overall, we are convinced that in the future the field of medicinal inorganic chemistry will be a key part of drug development for personalized medicine, allowing also considerable advances in predictive medicine. However, we should also fight against the prejudice associated to metal-based drugs, mostly in terms of in vivo toxicity. Thus, as bioinorganic chemists, we should be able to address the difference between the toxicity related to the “naked”, non-coordinated metal ion, and that of the corresponding metal stabilized by the coordinating ligand(s). Moreover, the toxicity of metal complexes is a multifaceted subject during the development of metal-based drugs as it primarily depends on the type of selected application. In the case of metal-based radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis or therapy toxicity is not the main matter of concern due to the low concentrations of metal-complexes administered to the patients. In order to exert pharmacological effects (e.g. cisplatin is activated by hydrolysis inside cancer cells), however, further studies are necessary to “fine tune” the stability metal complexes while maintaining their biological activity and reduce their side-effects.

Catalysis is an area of research which still continues to be a premier area of chemistry. It plays a key role in modern chemical technology. There are a large number of important organic transformations such as oxidation, hydrogenation, hydroformylation, carbonylation, polymerization and various coupling reactions. The majority of these novel catalysts are based on silica, primarily since silica displays many advantageous properties excellent stability (chemical and thermal), high surface area, good accessibility, and organic groups can be robustly anchored to the surface, to provide catalytic centers. However, it does have drawbacks it has limited stability in aqueous especially basic conditions, and it cannot easily be formed into membranes or into other forms which could be attached to novel reactors for use in intensive processing applications.