Pharmacology NOW! Pharmacology NOW!

Student Focus Pharmacology NOW! Pharmacology NOW!

Pharmacologists play a vital role in the drug discovery process. Every time we take a pill, our body’s chemistry changes. Pharmacology’s job is to understand why, and to use this knowledge to build better drugs.

I won’t harp on too much, but it has to be said (and is, Don’t want to go into research?

Jessica Strangward it seems, all the time) that we live in a time of economic Downloaded from http://www.portlandpress.com/biochemist/article-pdf/34/1/42/6798/bio034010042.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 (Head of Education, British uncertainty and fear. But one thing we can also be I began university studying a very Pharmacological Society) certain of is that humans will always strive to find new broad biomedical science course cures for illness, to try to end suffering for those in pain. which gave me the opportunity to It’s true the landscape of the pharmaceutical industry study a range of disciplines; the perfect seems to have suffered an earthquake of change – but step up from college. It was the easiest decision of my what is going to spring up through the cracks created? life to specialize in pharmacology from the second year Whatever grows and flourishes, pharmacologists onwards, as I loved the mixture of biology and chemistry will continue to be an essential component – both in that the pharmacology course offered. research and the clinic. But how do you go about finding After graduating, I took a job in a science museum and these jobs? found that communicating science was a great fit for me. Working in a formal laboratory environment had never Clinical Pharmacology really appealed, and all of a sudden I’d found a whole new area to explore: helping the public and other scientists Nowadays, the clinical pharmacologist’s role is still vital to understand the work of others. This led me to study within the health care – ensuring that drugs are used a Masters course in science communication at Imperial effectively on hospital wards (see box off). They also College. I have since worked in science policy, and now play a very important role advising government about web editing, two very different, but equally interesting, which drugs the NHS should purchase for patients and roles. I even did a short stint as an intern at CERN! I have no how they should be used. For this you need to have idea where I’ll end up next, but my strong understanding acute knowledge of how drugs are used on the ward of scientific principles that the pharmacology course by people at home, and a high level understanding of offered has provided me with a sound basis for statistics to see how effective a drug will be. Pursuing communicating all aspects and areas of science. a hospital clinical role will usually mean completing a Emma Stokes, Web Editor, NC3Rs medical degree and then applying for specialist training schemes in hospitals. However, these clinical skills are also essential for designing and understanding high- One of the tricky things about pharmacology is quality clinical trials. defining it. Essentially anyone who is involved the discovery of drugs can be termed a pharmacologist. Tom Blackburn from Increasingly, people who studied microbiology TPBioventures LLC explains: or biochemistry find themselves working in drug discovery, but probably won’t think of themselves as Sir John Gaddum called pharmacologists “jacks of all trades” picking pharmacologists! This is one of the reasons the BPS offers up and adapting other people’s ideas and applying them to their own workshops in essential pharmacological principles, to discipline borrowing from biochemistry, physiology and pathology. The enhance and expand on people’s knowledge base. This future is bright for young pharmacologists who can adapt rapidly to change, and embrace also means that you will have to be eagle-eyed when new technologies and cultures. looking at job adverts. Biotech has been steadily growing Thirty years ago, advising on careers using pharmacology seemed straightforward. You as Pharma has been retreating. These businesses don’t chose research – in either industry or a university workplace. The other option was clinical have the same profile as the ‘Big Four’ did. Start reading pharmacology – clinicians weave together the knowledge of drugs effect on the body with the trade press such as Drug Discovery News, which will the clinical business of prescribing drugs to patients. The situation hasn’t changed too much help you find out what’s new in biotech, the names of really, but you can’t just look to the ‘Big Four’ pharmaceutical companies any more. Moreover, companies and who works there, identify places where it’s important not to forget that there is a wider diversity of careers that are associated with you should send your CV, and make sure you use the science – working in policy, regulation or communication. The times they are a changin’. buzz words the industry is already using.

Research (ABPI) has a really good website that gives you lots of ideas about careers. There is also the UK Bioindustry The traditional route of doing a Masters then a PhD is association that keeps a rolling list of job opportunities. still a reliable route for many. Increasingly, PhDs last 4 Take advantage of networking sites such as LinkedIn years to incorporate a Masters course. This can be for – you can look up specific interests and industries to many reasons, but one which is repeatedly pointed to is discover the smaller companies that are out there. the perceived lack of laboratory skills of graduates. It is Discovering drugs and medicines to alleviate worth stressing that any opportunity you can get to gain suffering is one of humankind’s greatest achievements, laboratory skills should be fought for and held on to this drive will never cease. The industry needs tightly. Employers are looking for work-ready graduates. bright,dynamic minds who are interested and

In pharmacology, in vivo skills are a sought-after engaged...and ready to face the challenges – and Downloaded from http://www.portlandpress.com/biochemist/article-pdf/34/1/42/6798/bio034010042.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 commodity. This can be tricky, as in many universities, opportunities – ahead. ■ these are not offered to all undergraduates, but the BPS and The Physiological Society do offer summer courses you can apply for. In vivo is still an intrinsic part of the You can join the BPS for *free* if you are an drug discovery process, and ensuring there is a cohort undergraduate studying any pharmacology-related of scientists who understand how to plan careful, course. This gives you access to our meetings for free as effective and meaningful experiments using animals is well as the opportunity to apply for grants and prizes. paramount to translating these results to treat humans. Go to www.bps.ac.uk also check out our new careers The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry website www.pharmacologynow.org.uk What I wish I knew when I graduated Tracey Gloster (Simon Fraser University, Canada)

I am a postdoctoral fellow currently working in sufferers is one thing that motivates me. Canada, but will move back to the UK soon to start When I graduated with a Biochemistry degree in an independent research group at the University of St. 2002, I was pretty sure I wanted to do research and so Andrews. I am interested in carbohydrate-processing the obvious next step was a PhD, but I didn’t really know enzymes from a structural, mechanistic and functional where that would take me afterwards. At the time it viewpoint, and have a background in structural biology seemed that everyone else around me knew what they and, more recently, cell biology. I enjoy research in wanted to do, but, looking back, many of those people academia because of the freedom it provides to explore have tried different things or taken time out to travel and anything that I find interesting; sometimes it is the so they were probably as unsure as me. In retrospect, I slightly odd experiment, hunch or even accident that wish I had appreciated back then that it was okay to not leads to some exciting or important result. As a scientist, know what I wanted to do later in life or what kind of I think the thrill of seeing the result of an experiment for research to pursue. I have received great guidance from the very first time can never be replaced. For just a short mentors through my PhD and postdoc which has left time, being the only person on Earth that knows one of me with a range of skills and knowledge of different Nature’s ‘secrets’ is so exciting! In addition, an important techniques, as well as an appreciation of what is needed part of research is the exchange of ideas with others, and to do good science. What is most important, however, I have had the opportunity to travel to conferences in with whatever career path taken, is being stimulated and many interesting places to present my work. The end- motivated. In some ways, choosing the right path is like goal of most of my work is to enhance knowledge that doing experimental research – it might require exploring one day may have an impact on treating diseases such different options to find the outcome, but, in the end, as cancer, and the desire of being able to help the lives of perseverance will pay off.■