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Clinical pharmacology studies the therapeutic application of drugs and their effects on humans, including drug development, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacokinetic potential. It aims to ensure public safety by understanding molecular properties and drug mechanisms. The concept of practice dates back to the 15th century, but it only became a recognized science in the late 19th century. Today, virtually every medical college and university has a clinical pharmacology department, which evaluates pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, as well as pharmacogenetics, to predict adverse side effects across different groups.
Clinical pharmacology is a branch of biomedical science focused on the therapeutic application of drugs and their effect on humans. However, clinical pharmacology involves more than just analyzing the benefits and side effects of prescription drugs on people. Indeed, a pharmacologist who specializes in this field may also play a role in drug development, studying pharmacogenetic variations among study subjects, and evaluating the pharmacokinetic potential of specific drugs. Aside from these broad fields, the primary goal of clinical pharmacology is essentially the same across the board: to ensure public safety in the use of drugs by understanding their molecular properties and how they work in the body.
While clinical pharmacology may seem like a 21st century career choice, its concept of practice was actually introduced in the 15th century by various historical medical tomes such as The Canon of Medicine, which drew on the philosophies of early Arab and Roman physicians, among the others . However, clinical pharmacology did not emerge as a recognized science until the late 19th century. In fact, the first university to open its doors to this field was the University of Dorpat in 15 in the Republic of Estonia (formerly Russia). Before that, pharmacology in general was limited to observing the biological responses of drugs without investigating the mechanism behind them.
Today, virtually every medical college and university in the world has a clinical pharmacology department, most of which are engaged in conducting medical studies and clinical trials. As such, the clinical pharmacologist deals with several aspects that may affect the results of the study. Initially, the pharmacokinetic properties of a drug are evaluated. In short, this means experimenting to learn how the body breaks down a particular drug, as well as determining the rate of its absorption and elimination.
The pharmacodynamic properties of a drug are also evaluated, which results in determining the dose required for the drug to bind to its targeted receptor site and promote the desired biological response. While this may seem like a simple matter of cause and effect, it’s not. Indeed, this scenario serves to illustrate the root of clinical pharmacology as an applied science, which is to look beyond the effect of the drug at the cellular level and towards the most appropriate dose and mode of administration on real people.
Clinical pharmacology also involves the study of pharmacogenetics, which is the clinical measurement of biological effects based on physiological variances between different populations. For example, age, genetics, pre-existing medical conditions, and interactions with other drugs can all affect how a drug is metabolized. Findings from these and other factors are documented and analyzed to help clinicians better predict adverse side effects across different groups.
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