Pharmacologist

A pharmacologist practices the science of pharmacology, which is the study of drug, hormone, and chemical actions on biological systems. A pharma­cologist must have knowledge in the sources, chemical properties, biological effects, and therapeutic uses of drugs. The pharmacologist must be mul­tidisciplinary with experience and/or knowledge in experimental techniques such as analytical chemistry, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, immunology, medicinal chemistry, microbiology, pathology, and physiology. Pharmacologists can be subcategorized as doing biologic, in­dustrial, human, or regulatory research.

Pharmacologists perform studies to examine drug interactions and de­fine the mechanism involved in producing these interactions. In order to determine the mechanism of action of a particular drug, the pharmacolo­gist may perform experiments on cellular in vitro systems. However, in or­der to identify the physiological, biochemical, or immunological response, it is often necessary to perform the experiments in in vivo experimental animal systems such as rats and mice (preclinical). Many pharmacologists consider toxicology to be an important part of pharmacologic research. Phar­macologists may perform this type of research in an academic (university) or industrial (drug company) environment.

Pharmacology training usually requires graduate degrees (M.Sc. and Ph.D.). Pharmacologists who study the therapeutic and toxic actions of drugs in humans are referred to as clinical pharmacologists. The clinical pharma­cologist often has medical training (M.D.) with specialized training in the use of drugs in the treatment of disease. Clinical pharmacologists determine the correct routes of drug administration (e.g., oral or intravenous), assess their adverse effects, monitor drug levels, and establish therapies which pre­vent or treat overdoses as well as the consequences of interactions with other drugs. Some pharmacologists are involved with the administration of the rules and regulations relating to the development of new drugs. The phar­macologist unlocks the mysteries of drug actions, discovers new therapies, and develops new medicinal products, which inevitably touch upon all hu­man lives.

References

Lewis, P. “The Clinical Pharmacologist in Drug Discovery and Development.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 42 (1996): 133-136.

Raskova, H. “How I Became a Pharmacologist.” Pharmacology and Toxicology 80 (1997): 255-261.

University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Medicine. http://www.pharmtox.med.uwo.ca.