What is pharmacology?
Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, encompassing their journey from discovery and development to understanding their effects on the body. It's a bridge between chemistry, biology, and medicine, aiming to optimize the use of drugs for therapeutic benefit.
What are the main features of pharmacology?
- Interdisciplinary Approach: Pharmacology integrates knowledge from various fields like chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and molecular biology to understand how drugs interact with the body at a cellular and organismal level.
- Rapidly Evolving: Advancements in technology like genomics and bioinformatics are constantly changing the way drugs are discovered, developed, and personalized for individual patients.
- Focus on Rational Drug Design: Pharmacologists aim to create new drugs by understanding the biological targets of diseases and designing molecules that interact specifically with those targets.
What are important sub-areas in pharmacology?
- Pharmacokinetics: Studies the movement of drugs through the body, including absorption, distribution, metabolism (breakdown), and excretion.
Access:
Public
