Interdisciplinary collaboration is a key to successful research. This is true for Pharmacology, which as a discipline, has undergone tremendous change. Today, we combine the approaches of molecular biology, biotechnology and genetics etc. to study the pharmacodynamic basis of drug action. At Jamia Hamdard, there is an added advantage of having such collaborations within the various departments of the University. This is true even within SPER. For instance, the molecules synthesized in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry or the herbal extracts from Pharmacognosy Department or the developed formulations by the Department of Pharmaceutics are evaluated in Department of Pharmacology. The department also has collaborations outside the University both from academic and research institutions as well as pharmaceutical industry.
The Department of Pharmacology has multidisciplinary collaboration with HIMSR and Centre for Translational and Clinical Research, School of Chemical & Life Sciences. The M. Pharm in Pharmacy Practice programme is augmented with the Clinical Research programme of School of Chemical & Life Sciences and Department of Community Medicine of HIMSR. In the HAH centenary hospital of Jamia Hamdard students of the Pharmacy Practice programme assist doctors in possible drug interaction and train patients to understand dosage regimen and other healthcare related queries.
Presently, the department has 09 faculty members with wide range of research interests in the following thrust areas:
- Neuropharmacology (Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Depression, Stroke, Schizophrenia, Cognition and Drug abuse),
- Cardiovascular pharmacology (Hypertension, Cardiomyopathy and Myocardial infarction)
- Endocrinology and others (Diabetes, Osteoporosis, Obesity)
- Clinical Pharmacology
Research activities within the Department of Pharmacology are well-funded by various agencies such as DST, ICMR, UGC, AICTE, CCRUM etc. In the last 5 years, department has received research grants worth Rs 2 crores from various funding agencies in India.
The department was sanctioned grants under Special Assistance Programme (SAP) of University Grants Commission (UGC), DRS Phase 1 and 2, on thrust area ‘Epilepsy and Osteoporosis’, UGC Major Research Grant on ‘Study of gut microbiota-induced atherosclerosis and obesity and modulation by Embelin in rats’ and ‘Evaluation of guggulipid extract in animal model of focal cerebral ischemia in rats’ and ICMR research grant on antiepileptic drugs associated osteoporosis. The Department has also received Startup Research Grant from UGC.
The faculty members of the department have published >200 papers in national and International journals of repute in the last 5 years.