Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Pharmacology is the science concerned with the study of drugs and how they work. The science of pharmacology also includes the search for new drugs and investigations into how they can best be used in the treatment of disease in both man and animals. The social use and abuse of drugs, such as tobacco, alcohol, heroin, cocaine and solvents, cannot be ignored. A better understanding of how such drugs produce their effects will lead to more effective ways of dealing with the disruptive effects of drug abuse and addiction.

Despite the advances of recent years, no drug is free from risk. For some diseases the available treatments are far from satisfactory; new or better drugs are still needed to treat many types of cancer, AIDS, heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders. Pharmacologists play an important role in discovering these new drugs.

The science of pharmacology is expanding: fundamental research in pharmacology has already contributed to major advances in the development of drugs to treat such things as pain, stomach ulcers, and asthma. As we have come to understand more of how the body functions - so new molecular entities have been uncovered for pharmacologists to target. But the discovery of a new drug with a sought-after action is only the beginning.

Before deciding whether a new drug will be useful or not, exhaustive laboratory tests are required to discover all its actions, from the molecular level to its effects on the whole body. Such studies enable scientists to redesign the drugs molecular structure to maximise the desirable qualities whilst minimising the side effects. The initial discoveries that lead to new drugs can be made in academic institutions or within the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical companies in Britain have an excellent reputation for discovering new drugs and make significant contributions to our economy. To support this effort, a constant supply of trained scientists is needed to carry out quality research in commercial settings as well as in purely academic environments.  Studying Pharmacology will also equip you with a wide range of transferrable skills including data gathering, analysis and interpretation, presentation skills and team-work which will be relevant for graduate careers with many public and private sector employers.