RESEARCH FIELD

Pharmacology

Pharmacology studies how drugs interact with biological systems, encompassing the molecular mechanisms of drug action at receptors, the kinetic and dynamic processes governing drug disposition, and the population-level variation in drug response driven by genetics. Structural studies of G protein-coupled receptors in active and inactive states have transformed rational drug design for cardiovascular, CNS, and metabolic disease targets. Pharmacogenomics integrates genomic information to predict individual drug response, moving towards precision prescribing based on a patient genetic makeup. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic models simulate drug disposition across species and special populations from first principles. Pharmacology bridges basic science and clinical medicine, informing drug approval and post-market surveillance of safety signals.