Science 10
Drug Discovery Lab
Spring 2026
Embedded Files
Science 10
Introduction
Introduction
Whether you are just beginning your chemistry journey (Chem 10 or Chem 19) or whether you are taking Organic Chemistry (Chem 21, 22, 24), I have a project for you to learn how new medicines/pharmaceutical drugs are developed by participating in the process!
Please consider joining the Science 10 Drug Discovery Lab! The class is limited to 18 students so be sure to secure your spot! Registration for Summer classes typically begins late April, while Winter classes typically begins late October, and registration for Spring starts mid-November. Students should login to Corsair Connect for their specific registration window. Keep in mind students in the STEM MÁS program get priority enrollment when registering for this course.
The unique feature of the Science 10 Drug Discovery Lab course is that students will be getting a chance to do BOTH the chemistry and biology work (but all wrapped into one class!). All projects will involve either the synthesis/isolation/structure determination of an organic molecule AND the biological testing of that molecule!
Science is increasingly interdisciplinary and the process of discovering and developing new medicines is a great example of this interdisciplinary enterprise. At the end of this winter experience, students will have more experience with doing chemistry/microbiology research than when they started and having this experience on your resume can act as a springboard for securing an even more in-depth research experience in the future.
Class Meeting times/format
Class Meeting times/format
Normal semester: The Spring 2026 Science 10 will run 15 weeks. In-person lab meetings on Fridays from 9am to 1:05 pm in MSB 313 (Organic Chemistry Lab room)
Intersessions: The Summer 2026 Science 10 will run 6 weeks. In-person lab meetings on Tues and Thurs from 9am to 1pm in MSB 313 (Organic Chemistry Lab room)
Lectures will be posted online and can be watched at your own pace (asynchronous format).
Science 10 is officially titled "Principles and Practice of Scientific Research". The specific focus is determined by the particular instructor and this session's Science 10 will be on the Drug Discovery process.
Registration Information:
Interession enrollment for this course begins end of October (Winter) or April (Summer).
Each student's unique enrollment date/time is available to them via Corsair Connect. Before a certain date, enrollment is restricted to STEM/MAS students based on their enrollment window.
Project 1: Identifying antimicrobial compounds from essential oils
Project 1: Identifying antimicrobial compounds from essential oils
Plants have been used by mankind as a source of medicines for thousands of years. Essential oils are readily obtained by carrying out the steam distillation of various plant materials. Students will learn how to separate an essential oil into its various chemical components using aqueous extraction and column chromatography and will learn to measure the antimicrobial activity for each chemical compound using the Kirby-Bauer assay. With these skills in hand, the students can choose an essential oil of their own choosing and embark on a journey to isolating the bioactive component! This project will give the student an appreciation for the wide variety of compounds that are naturally present in a plant and how chemists selectively purify a single bioactive compound from the mixture.
This project will be available to students of all chemistry backgrounds.
Project 2: Synthesis of antimicrobial compounds via the Suzuki-miyaura Cross coupling reaction
Project 2: Synthesis of antimicrobial compounds via the Suzuki-miyaura Cross coupling reaction
The Suzuki-Miyaura Cross Coupling Reaction is one of the go-to reactions in the toolbox of the medicinal chemist because of how reliably it can forge a C-C bond between two sp2 hybridized carbons. Palladium-catalyzed cross coupling reactions were recognized with the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In this project, students will utilize the Suzuki-Miyaura Cross Coupling to synthesize compounds, purify, characterize compounds and test them for antimicrobial activity using the Kirby Bauer Assay. The class data will be pooled to see if there are any trends between the structure of the molecule and its observed biological activity (Structure-Activity Relationships). This project will give the student experience of what it is like to work as a medicinal chemist.
This project will be available only to students who have completed Chem 21 (Organic Chemistry 1).
Past Science 10 Drug Discovery Lab Offerings and Promotional Flyers
Past Science 10 Drug Discovery Lab Offerings and Promotional Flyers
Cohort 4) Promotional Flyer for Spring 2026
Cohort 3) Promotional Flyer for Summer 2025
Cohort 2) Promotional Flyer for Winter 2025
Cohort 1) Promotional Flyer for Summer 2024
Image credits: Dylan Neumeyer and Aung Min Khant (Summer 2025 Science 10 class)
They used a micropipette to apply 20uL of Steris spray (0.4%) directly from the classroom cleaning bottle onto a TSA plate inoculated with E. coli. They did every other dot first and then came back for a second pass. No swab was used. Incubated plate for 24h at 37C and then stored at 4C. When same technique was applied for S. epidermidis, the entire plate was wiped out demonstrating E. coli's general hardiness compared to S. epidermidis (Gram negative vs Gram positive, respectively). By doing this they were able to spell out SMC!
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