In this block course, students explore the metabolic potential of microbial communities from unique environments located in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch. We will identify microorganisms cohabitating with extremophile mosses, and discover bioactive metabolites produced within these ecological niches.

This course provides an overview over the concepts and processes employed in today's drug discovery and development. It has an introductory character but will also provide more detailed insights employing real life examples. The course combines lectures and interactive elements which require active participation of the students.

The course provides a platform for the investigation, presentation and discussion of a topic with relevance to the field of pharmaceutical sciences. Students work in small groups on a chosen topic and present their work on a one day symposium.

First identification with Pharmaceutical Sciences; motivation for profiling in the Natural Sciences, which are focused on within the first two years as a preparation for the specialized studies; sensitization for the duties and the responsibilities of a person with a federal diploma in Pharmacy; information about job opportunities.

The lecture series takes place at the ETH Hönggerberg and covers a variety of major activities involved in drug discovery: selecting drug targets, technologies used in drug discovery, small, medium and large drugs, objectives of the medicinal chemist, assessing drug safety, principles of personalized medicine, designing clinical trials, how intellectual property is protected, as well as others.

Selected chemistry topics, covered in depth:1a) Chirality and other aspects of stereochemistry1b) The origin of biomolecular homochirality2) Chemistry and sustainability.3) Origin of life: The amyloid peptide world hypothesis, compared with the RNA world hypothesis.

The lectures give an overview of selected drugs and the molecular mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects in disease. The historical and modern-day methods by which these drugs were discovered and developed are described. Structure-function relationships and the biophysical rules underlying ligand-target interactions will be discussed and illustrated with examples.

The structure and biosynthesis of plant constituents and the pharmacological effects and therapeutic applications of biogenic drugs of plant origin (extract-based herbal medicines; isolated natural products) are discussed. Areas of focus are (a) major biosynthetic pathways for plant-derived natural products, (b) pharmacological effects of herbal extracts, and (c) molecular mechanisms of action.

State-of-the-art information on drug discovery and development by experts from academia and industry.