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).
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Health Sciences Campus
Carl T. Sanders R & E Building
706-721-2345
RM 3530
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is among the most common illnesses that affect premature or low birth-weight infants and is a major cause of long-term vision impairment and blindness.
Without CARMN, a long, noncoding RNA, the 30-foot-long GI tract doesn’t contract as it should.
With preterm birth, the still-immature retina can develop a potentially blinding eye disorder known as retinopathy of prematurity.
Making more of enzyme A1, which tamps down inflammation, available could help treat diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
