Pharmacology

Entry requirements

We require applicants to hold, or be about to obtain, an Upper Second class Honours degree (or overseas equivalent) in a related subject area for entry to a PhD programme. A Lower Second class Honours degree may be considered if applicants also hold a Master's degree with a Merit classification.

Months of entry

January, September, April

Course content

Our PhD/MPhil Pharmacology programme enables you to undertake a research project that will improve understanding of Pharmacology.

Our pharmacology research focuses on a range of topics. These include:

• the pharmacology of drug efflux transporters, particularly ABCB1 P-glycoprotein, ABCG2 breast cancer resistance protein and ABCC multidrug resistance-associated transporters;
• developing complex, physiologically-relevant in vitro cell systems to investigate transport, metabolism and delivery of therapeutic drugs;
• understanding the pharmacological and molecular mechanisms that regulate expression and function of drug efflux transporters, particularly in the blood-brain barrier;
• the role of blood-brain barrier drug efflux transporters in drug delivery to the central nervous system and the effects of inflammatory and degenerative conditions, eg Alzheimer's disease, on efflux transporter function;
• the biological role of lipid networks in health and disease, particularly their roles in inflammation, cellular communications and tissue responses;
• employing mass spectrometry-based lipidomic technology, in conjunction with functional, metabolic and signaling approaches to characterise lipid profiles in physiological and pathophysiological conditions;
• investigating the role of lipids in skin homeostasis and in response to inflammation, injury and wound healing;
• studying role of local hormones in diseases and conditions associated with the female reproductive tract (eg dysmenorrhoea, endometriosis and the detection and prevention of preterm labour);
• molecularly identifying and pharmacologically characterising receptors expressed in the female reproductive system;
• understanding the physiological and pharmacological characteristics of the placenta. These studies include the development of placental homing peptide-microRNA inhibitor conjugates for targeted enhancement of placental growth signaling.

Information for international students

For applicants whose first language is not English, or for those who have not recently studied in the United Kingdom, you must supply an official IELTS or TOEFL transcript to support your application, or provide a date on which you will be taking a test. Please note IELTS and TOEFL are only valid for two years.

We require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall or TOEFL iBT 90. For the writing component, we expect that you have achieved a minimum of 6.0 (IELTS) or 21-23 (iBT). For each of the other components of the English test you should meet the minimum requirement of IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 18.

For more information about English language tests see English language requirements.

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements, including English language, see entry requirements from your country .

Fees and funding

Qualification and course duration

PhD

MPhil