LECTURER OF UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO INTRODUCES LIGAND-PROTEIN INTERACTION TO STUDENTS OF SCHOOL OF PHARMACY ITB

On November 23, 2021 at 07.00-09.00 WIB, the Pharmacochemistry Scientific Group (Kelompok Keilmuan, KK) of SF ITB held a virtual guest lecture via Zoom platform for the Medicinal Chemistry course (FA4111). This guest lecture was held for the 7th semester students, both Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (Sains dan Teknologi Farmasi, STF) and Clinical and Community Pharmacy (Farmasi Klinik dan Komunitas, FKK) study program. This guest lecture was delivered by Prof. Tomohiko Ohwada, Ph.D. from the Laboratory of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Tokyo, Japan. He is an adjunct professor of Pharmacochemistry KK of SF ITB who is also involved in Medicinal Chemistry lectures in the 1st semester, 2021/2022.

Prof. Tomohiko Ohwada, Ph.D. was born in Tokyo, Japan. He successfully obtained a bachelor degree in pharmacy from the Faculty of Pharmacy Sciences, University of Tokyo in 1982. Then, in 1987, he obtained his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo. Since 2001, he has been promoted to full professorship in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Tokyo. He has research interests in the fields of cation chemistry, amide chemistry including peptide chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and computational chemistry. He has published 175 articles in reputable journals with an H-index of 41, and holds 6 patents. For his achievements, he won The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award for Young Scientists in 1992.

In the Medicinal Chemistry course, students could learn about the process of discovery and manufacture of new drugs, the modification of drug structures, and the development of cutting-edge drugs. In his first lecture, Prof. Tomohiko Ohwada, Ph.D. conveyed the topic of “Molecular Design of Ligands and Understanding of Ligand-Protein Interaction”, which certainly can increase students’ understanding of Medicinal Chemistry courses that are obtained directly from experts. The lecture was not only the presentation of the material, but also continued with a discussion/question-and-answer session, which could further enhance students’ understanding of the presented topics. This lecture was attended by 146 people consisting of all undergraduate students of SF ITB who take courses in Medicinal Chemistry, both regular and international classes, as well as lecturers and academic assistants of Pharmacochemistry KK.

Not only attending one lecture, Prof. Tomohiko Ohwada, Ph.D. attended the second lecture still on the Medicinal Chemistry course, which was held virtually via the Zoom platform, on November 30, 2021 at 07.00-09.00 WIB. Hopefully, the collaboration between ITB and University of Tokyo through this adjunct professor activity can continue well, and the positive impact of this activity can be experienced by the entire academic community of SF ITB.

(Christie & Fikri)