PHARMACOLOGY

Direct inquiries to: Dr. Barrie Ashby, Chairman of the Graduate Committee, 215-707-4404. Fax: 215-707-7068.

E-mail: bashby00@nimbus.temple.edu

Graduate Faculty

Martin W. Adler, Professor, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Barrie Ashby, Professor, Ph.D., Leeds University; Alan Cowan, Professor, Ph.D., University of Strathclyde, Glasgow; James L. Daniel, Professor, Ph.D., Carnegie-Mellon University; Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; James G. McElligott, Professor, Ph.D., McGill University; Michael A. Sirover, Professor, Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook; J. Bryan Smith, Professor and Chair, Ph.D., University of London; Gerald H. Sterling, Associate Professor, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; Ronald J. Tallarida, Professor, Ph.D., Temple University; George D. V. van Rossum, Professor, Ph.D., Oxford University.

General Statement

The graduate program of the Department of Pharmacology offers training in the theoretical, as well as the experimental, aspects of pharmacological science to science majors. Candidates whose backgrounds lie in other areas of bioscience are welcome to apply.

Full-time studies are the norm. Part-time study is only possible for students in the Ph.D. program for industrial pharmacologists; however, they must complete two consecutive semesters of full-time study.

Specialized programs leading to the Ph.D. are offered to industrial pharmacologists within the Pennsylvania area. Applicants to this program must hold an M.S. degree or equivalent, have a record of continuous education, and hold a position of responsibility in the sponsoring pharmaceutical company. Special joint programs are available to students willing to bridge the areas of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology.

All courses are given during the day.

In addition to departmental requirements listed below, students must fulfill all requirements of the Graduate School.

Areas of Concentration

Special research strengths of the faculty are in the following areas: molecular pharmacology, neuropharmacology (autonomic cholinergic and peptidergic), CNS (drugs of abuse and adrenergic), cardiovascular pharmacology (vascular smooth muscle), biochemical pharmacology (myosin light chain phosphorylation, phospholipids, inositol phosphates, calcium, c-AMP, lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase metabolism, drug-receptor and receptor-effector coupling in vascular smooth muscle, platelets and leukocytes, opiate receptors, ion transport, DNA repair).

Application Deadlines

The last deadline for applications is May 1 if candidates are to be considered for acceptance in September of the same year. However, because University and departmental fellowships have already been granted by this time, it is recommended that applications be completed prior to January 1st of the year in which acceptance is desired.

Financial Aid

The Pharmacology Department offers a limited number of fellowships. The department currently holds a NIDA Training Grant.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree. There is no fixed set of prerequisite courses because each applicant is considered individually. Students should have studied biology, chemistry through organic, and mathematics through calculus; studies in physical chemistry and biochemistry are also advantageous. Candidates must submit scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (minimum score: 50th percentile in each test), two letters of recommendation, and transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate work (including Temple University). International students whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL scores (minimum score: 250 computer-based version or 600 paper-based version).

Degree Requirements

Course requirements depend on the student's qualifications and are determined individually. However, the following courses are usually required: 500, 503, 505, 507, 541 and 543. Most students will require at least 30 semester hours of course work. Research experience for three months in at least two laboratories in the department must be completed before research for the dissertation is started. Students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of one foreign language and sufficient skill in computer use.

Students must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination. They must propose and carry out an original research project and submit and orally defend a dissertation based on the work.

Course Descriptions -Pharmacology

Note: registration for all courses is subject to departmental approval. Courses in biomedical engineering are available through our cooperative arrangement with Drexel University.

500. Pharmacology. (7 s.h.)

Designed for medical students but suitable for graduate students. (Note: Non-matriculated graduate students require special permission.)

501-502. Special Topics in Advanced Pharmacology. (variable credit)

503. Pharmacology Seminar. (1 s.h.)

A series of research seminars given by external and internal scientists.

504. Special Topics in Theoretical Pharmacology. (2 s.h.)

Content is variable, but typical topics include mechanisms of drug-receptor interaction, information theory in pharmacology, and mathematical methods for quantitating drug effects.

505. Advanced Pharmacology. (2 s.h.)

Course designed for graduate students who are currently taking the Medical Pharmacology course to present them with the latest research developments in major areas of pharmacology.

507. Mathematical Biology. (3 s.h.)

Techniques of mathematical analysis which are of importance in physiology and pharmacodynamics. Emphasis is placed on numerical methods, including drug-receptor theory. Error analysis and the fundamentals of computer programming are included and applied to practical computational problems in pharmacology. Generally offered in odd-numbered years.

519. Neuropharmacology. (3 s.h.)

Prerequisite: an introductory course in pharmacology.

Considers in detail various classes of pharmacological agents affecting central and peripheral nerve tissue. A significant portion will be devoted to the chemistry of neural tissue, especially as this pertains to drug action.

520. Pharmacology of Drugs of Abuse. (3 s.h.)

The pharmacological profiles of the following substances: opioids, barbiturates, alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, marijuana and phencyclidine. Emphasis on the assessment of abuse potential of these agents in animals. Molecular characterization of opioid receptors.

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