67 pharmacology
minimum requirements and degrees available are given on page 56.
why study pharmacology?
Pharmacology is a biomedical science that studies how and where in the body drugs act to produce their effects, from the whole organism down to its individual cells. Most drugs produce their effects by interacting with particular molecular components (e.g. specific proteins) within cells. Pharmacology also considers the body’s handling of drugs – how drugs are administered and absorbed, how they distribute within the body, and how they are eventually inactivated and/or excreted, often after being modified in chemical structure by the action of enzymes found in the body.
The term ‘drug’ encompasses not only the familiar idea of chemicals as medicines (e.g. aspirin, penicillin) or as legal or illegal ‘pleasure promoting’ agents (e.g. alcohol, cannabis) but also includes poisons such as environmental or industrial pollutants, toxins from snakes and other creatures, and agents (e.g. ‘nerve gases’) of potential use in chemical warfare. The study of pharmacology therefore has important links with a variety of factors affecting our health and welfare in the modern world.
Modules available at Levels 3 and 4 give progressively more specialisation in pharmacology, with units in Level 4 being taught by laboratory-based scientists who carry out pharmacology-related research at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, where the Level 4 sessions are held. This location also enables medical colleagues, who are involved in treating patients, to be included in some Level 4 teaching units to provide a first-hand clinical perspective of the use and actions of drugs.
Pharmacology can be studied as a single Honours degree programme or can be combined with another discipline, e.g. physiological sciences, in a Biomedical Sciences degree.
employability
Pharmacology graduates are employed in many areas of medical and veterinary research in universities, industry and government-financed institutions. Many of our Honours graduates proceed to MSc or PhD degrees. In addition, pharmacologists have not only played a pivotal role in the UK pharmaceutical industry with an excellent record of drug discovery and development, but their skills are also welcome in other fields such as clinical trials, drug regulation and pharmaceutical marketing. Furthermore, a degree in pharmacology can be used to apply for graduate entry to study medicine or dentistry. However, it does not provide the qualification to be a pharmacist in the UK, for which a degree in pharmacy would be required.
what our graduates are doing
Andrew Holt graduated in 1989 with BSc (Hons) Pharmacology. Following graduation he studied for an MPhil then PhD at Cambridge. Since then he has worked in academia and in the private sector in Canada and is now Associate Professor in pharmacology at the University of Alberta. He says, The real world is a very competitive place. Your time spent at Dundee is an opportunity to give yourself a significant competitive advantage - don’t waste the opportunity!
programme content • typical degree programme example
Please refer to the Biological/Biomedical Sciences overview on page 56 for details of the common curriculum in Levels 1 and 2 and progression into the Integrated Masters (Level 5).
Level 3 At Level 3 you specialise in pharmacology, and choose additional subjects that interest you to study alongside your main subject. You will develop your knowledge and skills in the following aspects of pharmacology:
> peripheral and central nervous system pharmacology > mechanisms of cell signalling > basic principles of drug-receptor interactions > aspects of molecular pharmacology
Many students take advantage of opportunities for summer work placements, normally between Levels 3 and 4, which are available as externally-funded competitive placements, or as voluntary laboratory work.
Level 4 Your studies at Level 4 will be at the level of current research in your chosen subject area.
> Advanced study of topics in pharmacology that currently include:
• cardiovascular pharmacology • pharmacogenomics (improving drug therapy & safety) • modulating the immune response • molecular aspects of toxicology and carcinogenesis • targeted treatments of cancer • neurodegenerative disorders • molecular mechanisms of learning and memory • psychobiology and treatment of mental illness • analgesics and anaesthetics
> Research project
www.dundee.ac.uk/prospectus/lifesciences
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