Our researchers focus on the development of novel pharmacological approaches to treating a wide range of disorders and diseases through drug development, delivery and utilization.
The overarching goal of pharmaceutical research is to design and test drugs with increased efficacy and specificity to reduce side effects. The first step in drug discovery is the identification of potential molecular targets that can be stimulated or repressed for therapeutic purposes. Our researchers collaborate with a bioinformatics specialist to integrate and interpret complex molecular interactions and a data analyst to evaluate the impact of healthcare policies on medication utilization and cost-effectiveness.
Drug discovery, development, and delivery encompass the process of bringing new medications from the early stages of research to their availability for patient use. It involves a series of coordinated steps and scientific efforts aimed at identifying and developing safe and effective drugs to treat various diseases. The steps include:
Drug Discovery - Identify and design prospective drug compounds that have the potential to interact with specific disease targets or pathways. Researchers may use computational modeling, high-throughput screening and natural product isolation to identify promising compounds that exhibit therapeutic properties.
Drug Development - Once potential drug candidates are identified, they undergo extensive testing in preclinical studies. These studies assess the safety, pharmacokinetics (how the drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized and eliminated by the body), and efficacy of the compounds in animal models.
Clinical Trials - Clinical trials are conducted in several phases to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the drug in larger populations. Researchers test the drug's safety, dosage, and effectiveness in human volunteers in several phases that increase the number of participants and monitoring details.
Regulatory Approval - Following successful clinical trials, drug developers submit an application to regulatory authorities for approval to market the drug. Regulatory agencies review the data from preclinical and clinical studies to ensure the drug's safety, efficacy, and quality meet established safety standards.
Drug Delivery - Drug delivery refers to the mechanisms and methods used to administer drugs to patients. Drug delivery systems can include oral tablets, injectables, transdermal patches, inhalers or other specialized devices.
PCOM Georgia's Eric Wang, PhD, was awarded $10,000 by American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) to support his research on developing new therapeutic agents to treat multiple myeloma. “What I hope to accomplish is to identify potential drug candidates from natural sources with anti-myeloma effects and elucidate their mechanism of action,” Dr. Wang explained.
PCOM Georgia pharmacy researchers Shashidharamurthy Taval, PhD, Vicky Mody, PhD, and Srujana Rayalam, DVM, PhD, used computational molecular modeling to explore the efficacy of FDA-approved drugs for their inhibitory effects on viral enzymes. Results showed that some current pharmaceuticals could be repurposed to suppress the replication of the COVID-19 virus.
PCOM researcher Hua Ling, PharmD, recently analyzed results from a clinical trial involving quadruple therapy for patients with HFrEF. His research is focused on understanding how the medications studied in a clinical trial actually work in real-world settings and how they impact patient outcomes.
PCOM aims to develop innovative approaches to promoting health through basic, translational, clinical, behavioral, education and community research projects.
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