What Is Pharmacology?

Credit: iStock. Pharmacology is the study of how molecules, such as medicines, interact with the body. Scientists who study pharmacology are called pharmacologists, and they explore the chemical properties, biological effects, and therapeutic uses of medicines and other molecules. Their work can be broken down into two main areas: Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body acts on a medicine, including its processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Pharmacodynamics is the study of how a medicine acts in the body—both on its intended target and throughout all the organs and tissues in the body. Medicine bottles have instructions based on pharmacology research. How much of it, how often and when to take it, and whether to eat or avoid certain foods while taking it are all factors that pharmacologists research to make sure you get the best results from your medicine. Medicine instructions are based on the average bodily response to a specific medicine, but some people don’t respond in the average way. That’s where pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics—the study of how a gene or an entire genome, respectively, affect the body’s response to medicine—come in. Enzymes are often responsible for breaking down medicines so they can be removed from our bodies. If given a dose based on an average response, a person with a less active enzyme because of their genetics might end up with too much medicine in their body for too long...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Being a Scientist Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Common questions Genomics Medicines Miniseries Source Type: blogs