Graduate education in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD) provides training in research strategies in the design and development of novel therapeutic agents to improve human life in disease and health. The PSDD training area will provide translational sciences research training that bridges basic sciences and clinical research for the purpose of addressing the world’s challenges in unmet therapeutic needs. Research in pharmaceutical sciences encompasses multi-faceted, interdisciplinary drug development research.
Training in PSDD for the Ph.D degree with the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program is described at: https://biomedsci.ucsd.edu/training-areas/molecular-pharmacology.html
This web site includes information for student applications to the PSDD Ph.D program.
Ph.D Training in ‘Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development’ (PSDD)
Faculty Leader Contact:
Vivian Hook (vhook@health.ucsd.edu)
Summary of PSDD Research Training
The Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD) training area is a unique joint effort between the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Center for Drug Discovery Innovation (cDDI), the UCSD Drug Development Pipeline, the Center for Compound Resources, the Center for Computer-Aided Drug Design, with programs of the School of Medicine, School of Engineering, and UC BRAID. The overall goal of this training area is to provide students with a visionary perspective on the drug discovery and development process.
Graduate education in “Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development” (PSDD) provides training in research strategies in the design and development of novel therapeutic agents to improve human life in disease and health. The PSDD training area will provide translational sciences research training that bridges basic sciences and clinical research for the purpose of addressing the world’s challenges in unmet therapeutic needs to improve human lives. Research in pharmaceutical sciences encompasses multi-faceted, interdisciplinary drug development research in (a) design and discovery of drug molecules targeted to regulators of disease processes, including marine natural products, (b) in vitro and in vivo efficacy of candidate drug therapies, (c) chemical optimization by medicinal chemistry approaches, (d) drug pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics in ADME research based on drug delivery strategies, (e) safety and toxicity of drug molecules, and (f) advanced analytical technologies of drug molecule properties. Graduate students will be trained in these disciplines through a complete curriculum and state-of-the-art research strategies for drug development. Faculty of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) and the BMS program will train students in the area of PSDD. PSDD training will provide students with exciting opportunities in the professional field to become leaders in academic, government, private industry, biotechnology, and related areas to advance innovative drug development via pharmaceutical sciences research.
Admissions
PhD degree:
Students apply for admissions to the UCSD ‘Biomedical Graduate Program’ (BMS) for training by faculty in ‘Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD). Research training in PSDD is associated with the BMS areas of ‘Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Discovery’. Graduate students of the BMS program deveop their Individual Development Plans (IDP) with faculty advisors of the program. The IDP plans the research, coursework, and degree requirements for the student.
PharmD/PhD degree:
First year pharmacy students can pursue the PharmD/PhD degree by conducting 3 research rotations with faculty on research topics of PSDD during years 1-2 of the pharmacy curriculum. Pharmacy students in their 2nd year can apply for admissions for the PhD program of the Biomedical Sciences graduate program at UCSD (see previous paragraph). See information about the dual PharmD/Ph.D degree at
https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/degree-programs/dual-pharmd-phd-program
Core Graduate Courses in ‘Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development’
SPPS 263A Principles in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development: Pre-Clinical Drug Discovery and Development
PPS 263B Principles in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development: Pre-Clinical to Clinical Drug Development
Courses in Selected Areas of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development
SPPS 226 Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics
SPPS 219 Pharmacogenomics
SPPS 222 Pharmaceutical and Physical Chemistry
SPPS 223 Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
SPPS 224 Biopharmaceutics
SPPS 225 Dosage Forms and Drug Delivery Systems
SPPS 268 Systems Mass Spectrometry
SPPS 281 Medicinal Aspects of Natural Products
Faculty in Drug Discovery & Development in Pharmaceutical Sciences