Clinical pharmacology deals with the study of medications in humans and their effective, safe, and economic use in patients. The Department of Medicine Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Indiana University School of Medicine has expertise in several areas of clinical pharmacology. The division is also home to the Indiana Institute for Personalized Medicine.
clinical pharmacology areas of research
Drug Development
The drug development group has extensive industry experience ranging from identifying therapeutic agents to FDA submission and approval. While their current focus is on the discovery and development of compounds with potential to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease, plans are underway to make their expertise available to researchers across the School of Medicine.
Indiana CTSI Pharmacometrics Modeling and Simulation Program
The Indiana CTSI Pharmacometrics Modeling and Simulation Program home is in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and consists of faculty from IU School of Medicine, Purdue University and experts from industry. They employ a wide range of mathematical models to predict drug disposition and effects across the continuum of preclinical and clinical drug development.
Pharmacogenomics
In collaboration with the Indiana Institute for Personalized Medicine, the pharmacogenomics group identifies, validates, and implements testing for genetic variants that are used in genomically-guided therapy. Additional work includes evaluation of payer reimbursement, reduction of adverse events, physician, pharmacist and patient education, and clinical decision support to alert prescribing clinicians of clinically actionable pharmacogenomic results.
Translational Research in Drug Response
The division conducts translational research to better understand the variability in drug response. The focus ranges from basic science to identify new targets and understand mechanisms that regulate drug metabolism to clinical trials that demonstrate the clinical utility pharmacogenomic biomarkers. This critical work provides a better understanding of clinical pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug bioavailability, and drug-drug interactions.
Training
Training activities include a nationally recognized postdoctoral training program funded by an NIH T32 training grant, a pharmacometrics modeling and simulation fellowship program, and collaborative mentorship opportunities with graduate students at Indiana University School of Medicine and the Purdue University College of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmacy Practice.
Drug Interactions Flockhart Table ™
The division maintains a CYP P450 drug-drug interaction website as a service to the clinical pharmacology community and as a tribute to our former division chief, David Flockhart, MD, PhD. This website is viewed thousands of times each day by users across the globe. The Flockhart Table ™ app is also available for mobile download.