Drexel University College of Medicine

Chair's Welcome and Departmental Overview

I am pleased to welcome you to the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, one of four basic science departments in the Biomedical Graduate Studies Program within Drexel University College of Medicine. 

Our mission is to provide outstanding education and training to students that will serve as the foundation for lifelong contributions to the biomedical and health sciences. We emphasize a collaborative atmosphere with the objective of fostering high quality, interdisciplinary research.

The disciplines of pharmacology and physiology touch on virtually every scientific discipline and clinical area within the biomedical sciences, providing students with a range of opportunities to explore disease mechanisms and altered physiological processes, new pharmacological tools and new medications.

We are unique in offering educational programs not only in the basic sciences of pharmacology and physiology but also in drug discovery and development, which provides students with a wealth of advantages in considering career opportunities within academic, biopharmaceutical, and pharmaceutical settings.

Faculty Research Themes

Our faculty pursue a wide variety of research themes, including:

• Pain
  With an emphasis on epigenetic regulation, microRNA, biomarkers, neuroplasticity in acute and chronic pain, electrophysiological and behavioral assessments.
• Cancer
  Molecular and cellular mechanisms of metastases, calcium signaling; inhibitors of tumor growth.
• Psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders
  The role of proinflammatory cytokines in depressive disorders; autism spectrum disorders, neuropathology related to HIV/AIDs and chemokine receptors.
• Smooth muscle function
  Regulation of excitation and contraction, signaling cascades in bladder and vascular systems
• Molecular pharmacology
  Molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of biogenic amine transporters
• Behavioral pharmacology and physiology
  Study of behavioral and physiological processes underlying attention, learning and behavioral adaptability; development of animal model systems
• Drug discovery and development
  Processes involved in how drugs are discovered and developed encompassing every aspect from target identification through to commercialization and beyond.  Drug discovery and development is both an educational component and a research component of the department.

We invite you to explore the research interests of our faculty and inquire if you have questions. Additional information about the faculty — such as publications and laboratory information — can be found on their biography pages.

Department of Pharmacology and Physiology Faculty and Interests

Seena Ajit, Ph.D.
Molecular mechanisms of neuropathic pain; epigenetic regulation; microRNA expression and regulation; biomarkers.

James Barrett, Ph.D. **
Pain; behavioral pharmacology; animal models; drug discovery and development.

Paul Campbell, Ph.D.
Cancer cell biology, signaling, tumor invasion and metastasis.

Janet Clark, Ph.D.
Neuropsychiatric disorders; immune dysregulation; pro-inflammatory animal model of depression; drug discovery & development.

G.John DiGregorio, M.D. Ph.D. **
Analyses of drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids.

Alessandro Fatatis, M.D., Ph.D.
Molecular and genetic targets for therapeutics against metastatic dissemination; prostate and breast cancer cells targeting the skeleton.

Alessandro Graziano, Ph.D.
CNS plasticity in central and chronic pain; pharmacological and optogenetics approaches to pain control.

Joel Horwitz, Ph.D. **
Pharmacology education.

Huijuan Hu, Ph.D.
Ion Channels; synaptic transmission; neuropathic and inflammatory pain; electrophysiology.

Felix Kim, Ph.D.
Sigma 1 receptor biology, molecular pharmacology, biochemistry of sigma1 receptors in endoplasmic reticulum protein homeostatis, cell stress response, cancer.

Rachel Laudadio, Ph.D. **
Physiology education.

Olimpia Meucci, M.D., Ph.D.
NeuroAIDs; chemokines, neuroprotection; neuronal-glia interactions; CNS therapeutics; neuroimmunology.

Robert Moreland, Ph.D.
Vascular and bladder smooth muscle physiology; excitation-contraction coupling; calcium sensitization; hypertension; diabetes; benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Andréia Mortensen, Ph.D.
glutamate transporters, neurodegenerative disorders, spider venom compounds that target transporters.

Ole Mortensen, Ph.D.
Function and regulation of monoamine transporters - targets of antidepressants and psychostimulants.

Jeff Oristaglio, Ph.D.
Physiological processes involved in selective attention, learning and adaptability; neurodevelopmental disorders.

Anthony Romano, Ph.D. **
Pharmacology education.

Joseph Salvino, Ph.D.**
Medicinal chemistry, Hit-to-Lead/Lead optimization, small molecule ligands against biologically relevant targets

Kenny Simansky, Ph.D. **
Vice Dean of Research.

**  Faculty NOT accepting students at this time.

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