Future Students

Pharmacology

• School of Medicine and Pharmacology

Understanding how drugs work is not only important for the development of new safe therapies for disease, but also for our understanding of how the body works.

Basic pharmacologists develop new drug molecules and study their mechanisms of action and side-effects, while clinical pharmacologists are more involved with the use of drugs in human health and disease.

Related disciplines include toxicology (the study of the toxic effects of drugs and chemicals), and medicinal chemistry (the study of the chemical properties of drugs).

Pharmacology plays a major role in human health and society. Pharmacologists are responsible for the discovery of new molecules used in the treatment of disease and the relief of suffering in both humans and animals. Pharmacologists also seek to understand why some drugs can produce harmful effects (such as birth defects from thalidomide), or can be abused in society (for example, heroin and amphetamines).

The pharmaceutical and healthcare industries that are a major part of the current push into biotechnology rely heavily on pharmacology for their notable success. Molecular biology is a powerful tool that has greatly contributed to the understanding of how drugs work, and together with pharmacogenomics (the study of how genetics influences drug action and effects), will continue to have a great impact on pharmacology over the next decade.

Pharmacology can be studied as a major in the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Biomedical Science), Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience), Bachelor of Science (Biophysical Science) and the Bachelor of Health Science. This includes combined courses which include the Bachelor of Science or the Bachelor of Health Science.

Level 1
Pharmacology studies commence in Level 2. In Level 1 you will study introductory biological life sciences including Biology and Chemistry.

Level 2
In Level 2 you will study two Pharmacology units which provide an introduction to the basic principles of pharmacology, including mechanisms of action (pharmacodynamics), drug-receptor interactions, drug metabolism and disposition (pharmacokinetics), pharmacogenetics, structure-based drug design and drug addiction/dependence. You will also receive an introduction to the actions of drugs in tissues, organs and the whole body environment as well as the molecular basics of drug action.

Topics covered include the pharmacology of the autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory pharmacology, chemotherapy of microbial and viral disease and cancer, endocrine pharmacology and central nervous system pharmacology. Good companion units at the second level include molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, chemistry and microbiology.

Level 3
The emphasis at the third level switches from the breadth of topics taught in Level 2 to a more in-depth analysis of selected areas. Laboratory and experimental methodology is given greater weight, and you are encouraged to develop communication skills as well as a critical approach to the evaluation of information. You will also explore receptor pharmacology, structure activity relationships and structure-based drug design, immunopharmacology and neuropharmacology, autonomic pharmacology, respiratory pharmacology, psychopharmacology, pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism, cancer chemotherapy and gene therapy.

Career opportunities

Pharmacology offers a wide variety of worthwhile and rewarding career options. You can work as a researcher in a university, hospital or as a drug evaluator with statutory bodies, for example, the Therapeutic Goods Administration. In addition you may choose to work for a pharmaceutical company in areas such as drug regulation or marketing. Careers in academia are also possible. Whatever you do, pharmacology is very much a matter of team work, but there is plenty of scope for the pursuit of individual interests. Pharmacology puts you at the forefront of exciting development in modern science in an area that changes daily with the discovery of new drugs and new disease applications.