Faculty of Medical Sciences

Department of Pharmacology

Melanie Orr

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine that deals with the actions of drugs in the body, examining both their therapeutic and toxic effects. It also involves the development and testing of new drugs and finding new uses for existing ones.

The Bachelor of Basic Medical Sciences (BBMedSci) degree programme in Pharmacology aims to train students in the fundamental principles and practical applications of pharmacological concepts and techniques so that these can be exploited for service delivery in the Health Sector, and for the development of Medicinal Products obtained from metabolites of local plants and animals.

Melanie Orr, a final year Pharmacology student, demonstrates an example of the Freeze-drying technique for extraction of metabolites, which are substances which take part in chemical reactions in the body.