On Thursday, October 16, 2025, the College of Pharmacy at Gulf Medical University organized an online faculty research seminar delivered by Dr. Yasmine M. Mandour, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire (UH-GAF), Egypt.
Titled “AI-driven Drug Design,” the seminar explored the transformative role of artificial intelligence in accelerating modern drug discovery and development. Dr. Mandour discussed how computational and machine learning approaches are revolutionizing target identification, virtual screening, and ligand optimization, making drug design more efficient and predictive.
Drawing on her extensive experience in computational and medicinal chemistry, Dr. Mandour highlighted her research on protein–ligand interactions and the application of AI techniques to develop novel ligands for therapeutically significant protein targets, including G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), glycine receptors, and immune checkpoint proteins.
The session was attended by faculty members from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and graduate students from the Master’s in Drug Discovery and Development (MDD) program. Participants gained valuable insights into the intersection of artificial intelligence, molecular modeling, and pharmaceutical innovation.
The seminar concluded with a dynamic Q&A session, during which attendees discussed the potential of AI to reshape future strategies in rational drug design.
Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
SDG 4: Quality Education; SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
