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Medical College of GeorgiaPharmacology & Toxicology
Pharmacology & Toxicology
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  • Pharmacology & Toxicology

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology

Pharmacology and Toxicology was established as a department at the Medical College of Georgia in 1943.

 

Originally developed to discover how remedies and poisons effected man, modern pharmacology lays the groundwork to discover and develop future generations of therapeutics. Pharmacology's scope has broadened to include: computer-assisted drug design; genetic screens; protein engineering; and new drug-delivery vehicles like viruses and artificial cells.

 The department's history of accomplishments include the discovery of the adrenergic receptor subtypes-alpha and beta which led to developing several drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular and neuroscience studies are the focuses of the department's research programs.

Raymond P. Ahlquist, working in this Department, first defined α and β adrenergic receptors in 1948. This discovery eventually led to the development of “β blocker” drugs for hypertension and heart disease.

β adrenergic receptors (blue) clustered into artificial microdomains on the surface of a living COS7 cell (red).

β adrenergic receptors (blue) clustered into artificial microdomains on the surface of a living COS7 cell (red).  

Contact Us

Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology

 Health Sciences Campus

Carl T. Sanders R & E Building

706-721-2345

Ashley Davis

RM 3530

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CB Research Building

Facilities

Facilities  
Dr. Modesto Rojas, from left, Dr. Syed Adel Zaidi and Dr. Ruth Caldwell in lab
Researchers in lab
Dr. Xiangqin He, left, and Dr. Jiliang Zhou

Department Highlights

  • Research in the areas of cardiac, vascular, and pulmonary disease, schizophrenia, learning and memory, neuroprotection and drug abuse.
  • Experimental approaches range from the gene to whole animal.

Pharmacology & Toxicology News

A scientist in a lab coat stands in front of a table in a research lab and smiles at the camera.

MCG researchers publish first explanation of HIV, hypertension correlation

Read story
A male and female researcher in a lab.

MCG researchers target senescent cells in game-changing treatment of sepsis

Read story
Two male scientists in a lab look at a specimen in a dish.

MCG researchers secure $5.7 million in new NIH grants

Read story

  MORE PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY NEWS

Great Doctors, Great Medicine Since 1828. 

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