University of Southern Denmark

MSc in Medicinal Chemistry

Since its emergence as an independent scientific field within natural sciences, chemistry has always possessed a strong power to transform the molecular world. Imagine the joy to make a molecule that has never been made on Earth.

Chemistry has the ability to produce small molecules used in our daily life, to develop new medicines that cure diseases, and to design catalysts that speed up reactions that would otherwise not be possible.

At SDU, we develop novel chemical methods that enable efficient preparation of important molecules with the potential to impact our life. Our scientists working in the area of medicinal chemistry study the structure and function of the most important biomolecules, including nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, sugars, and many other biomedically important molecules that play key roles in human health and disease.

We design and synthesize new analogs of the natural nucleic acids where the overall goal is to inhibit the expression of disease-causing genes. The chemical basis of processes that control the activity of human genes via so-called epigenetic processes on histone proteins and DNA are also being investigated. Building on the knowledge gained from the basic understanding of molecular processes in humans, a new generation of inhibitors of biomedically important enzymes is being developed.