News archive 2008

A first for courses at King’s

08 Dec 2008, PR 259/08

Unique professional courses in the study of potential medicines and the efficacy of clinical trials begin with 20 students at King’s College London today, supported by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians.

The courses are the only one of their kind in the UK and are attracting participants from overseas. They will include a Diploma in Human Pharmacology and Certificate in Human Pharmacology.

Professor Robert Lechler, Vice-Principal (Health) at King’s says: 'King’s is delighted that the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians has chosen King’s to host this new Diploma course. Human Pharmacology provides a key step in the bridge between translational research and development of new therapies, and provision of this type of research training will be central to the remit of our proposed Academic Health Sciences Centre. The course will be led by two outstanding pharmacologists, Tim Mant and Clive Page, the former having recently taken up a joint appointment between Quintiles and King’s in order to help take forward our translational and clinical research agenda.'

Professor Tim Mant, Visiting Professor at the School of Medicine at King’s and Principal Medical Advisor to Quintiles GDRU (a contract research company providing a range of clinical research services for biotech and pharmaceutical clients internationally) is responsible for the course in Exploratory Development and Phase I Studies, comprising the Diploma in Human Pharmacology commencing today (Monday 8 December).

Clive Page, Professor of Pharmacology & Therapeutics from the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases at King’s, is responsible for the course in Principles of Pharmacology, comprising the Certificate in Human Pharmacology which will run in Spring 2009.

New courses

The Diploma in Human Pharmacology will operate as a two-year programme of structured training and an examination for medical doctors intending to work as investigators for studies involving the first administrations of potential new medicines to humans.

The Certificate in Human Pharmacology will run a part-time programme of courses and an examination for scientists in the pharmaceutical industry, universities and regulatory authorities who have an interest in early clinical drug development.

Dr John Posner, Director of the Diploma and Certificate programmes for the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians stated: ‘The Faculty has complete confidence that King’s has the expertise to deliver these courses to the high standard the Faculty requires.  King’s will be playing an important role in the much-needed training of doctors and scientists involved in human pharmacology studies of potential new medicines.’      

Dr Susan Bews, President of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine: 'As with all clinical trials, the safety of participants, whether healthy volunteers or patients, is paramount. The Diploma and Certificate programmes will help to provide the high standards of training required by those responsible for these studies.'

Notes to editors

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has 19,700 students from more than 150 countries, and 5,400 employees. King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of approximately £450 million. An investment £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres, a total unsurpassed by any other university.

King's College London and Guy’s and St Thomas, King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). Our AHSC brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. For more information, visit www.londonsahsc.org




Further information
Kate Moore, Public Relations Officer (Health Schools)
Public Relations Department, King's College London
Email:  kate.moore@kcl.ac.uk Tel: 020 7848 4334

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