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Pharmacology Services
Our pharmacology services study how drugs interact with living organisms to produce
a change in function. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered
pharmaceuticals, whether chemical or biological in origin. The field encompasses
drug composition and properties, interactions, therapy, and medical applications
and antipathogenic capabilities.
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Capabilities
Pharmacokinetics
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Pharmacokinetics (PK) investigations are to determine the fate of substances
administered to a living organism. In practice, this discipline is largely focused
on drug substances, though it can include all manner of compounds, such as nutrients,
metabolites, hormones, toxins, etc. We often divide these studies into several areas
including, but not limited to, the extent and rate of Absorption, Distribution,
Metabolism and Excretion. This sometimes is referred to as the ADME scheme.
Absorption is the process of a substance entering the body. Distribution is the
dispersion or dissemination of substances throughout the fluids and tissues of the
body. Metabolism is the irreversible transformation of substances and its daughter
metabolites. Excretion is the elimination of the substances from the body. In rare
cases, some drugs irreversibly accumulate in a tissue in the body.
Pharmacokinetics is often studied in conjunction with pharmacodynamics. So while
pharmacodynamics explores what a drug does to the body, pharmacokinetics explores
what the body does to the drug.
Multiple Drug delivery methods can be used in conjunction with timed serial bleeds
to collect blood for analysis. Blood samples can be collected for serum or
plasma.
Drug Absorption (Release Kinetics)
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Test substances can be implanted and retrieved for analysis to determine a release
profile of the test article. These studies can be done independently or in
conjunction with PK studies to determine both a release profile and the level of
drug in the system.
Pharmacodynamics
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Pharmacodynamics (PD) investigations study the biochemical and physiological effects
of drugs and the mechanisms of drug action and the relationship between drug concentration
and effect. Pharmacodynamics is often summarized as the study of what a drug does
to the body, whereas pharmacokinetics is the study of what the body does to a drug.
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