Discover Pharmacy at King’s: A to Z
Adverse
reactions to medicines can lead to hospitalisation and death, especially in the elderly. Professor Graham Davies is developing a tool to help healthcare professionals identify elderly patients who are at increased risk of experiencing problems with their medicines. Between 30 to 50 per cent of patients with chronic diseases do not take their medicines as prescribed. Professor John Weinman and Dr Vivian Auyeung are exploring the reasons for low levels of ‘adherence’, and are designing new ways to support patients to use their medicines effectively.
King’s international reputation for pharmaceutical research is built upon a long and productive history. Revolutionary thinkers such as the Nobel laureate Sir James Black (pictured) paved the way for modern methods in pharmacology and pharmaceutical analysis. He discovered a new generation of treatments:
beta-blockers
for heart disease and high blood pressure, and cimetidine for stomach ulcers. King’s scientists today are continuing the quest to discover, design, develop and deliver new and more effective medicines. David Thurston, Professor of Drug Discovery, has developed anticancer drug compounds which are currently in advanced clinical trials.
Pictured is a scientific expedition at the Great Barrier Reef to collect samples of
coral. Dr Paul Long, Reader in Pharmacognosy, is developing a sunscreen product based on the natural compounds that deep sea creatures produce to protect themselves from damaging UV rays.
The UK Intercollegiate Pharmacy
Debating Championships give our students an exciting opportunity to showcase their knowledge and communication skills. Students from competing UK universities go head to head at this annual event - conceived and organised by King’s College London and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society - to consider complex, real-life clinical scenarios, often accompanied by ethical dimensions. We developed the debates to help students understand how ethics are applied in real life and to give them more experience and confidence in making professional decisions. Dr Lea Ann Dailey was nominted for the award of ‘Most Innovative Teacher’ by Times Higher Education in 2011, for her work on this project.
Extra-curricular activities are an important part of student life at King’s. For MPharm students, this includes a thriving PharmSoc, which runs academic and social events such as the much anticipated annual black-tie ball, and a ‘student buddy’ scheme.
The
future
of pharmacy is dynamic and the opportunities for pharmacists are changing, including greater roles in caring for patients. We regularly review and update our curricula to ensure that we include the latest developments in the profession, with the ultimate aim of producing the best graduates who will flourish in their careers.
Dr Kim Wolff, Reader in Addiction Science at King’s, has been asked by the Department of Transport to make recommendations about the UK’s new laws on driving while under the influence of drugs. As Chair of an expert panel, she is using scientific evidence to influence the development of
Government strategy and legislation on drug driving and road safety.
A 42kg patient requires Hub intravenous paracetamol at a dose of 15mg/kg to be given as an infusion over 30 minutes. What volume of paracetamol 1g/100ml is needed for the dose? The Learning
is an online collection of elearning modules, courses, podcasts and films which have been created by and for staff, students and trainees at King’s Health Partners. The Hub includes a Pharmacy Diagnostic Calculation Test, which assesses both how accurate and confident you are about calculating drug doses – essential skills for pharmacists.
I
ndustry mpact & nnovation
The impact of our work is on a global level. Our interdisciplinary setting, where basic and applied scientists work alongside clinicians in our partner NHS trusts, enables the quick translation of research ‘from bench to bedside’. We also work closely with industrial partners, from large pharmaceutical to small biotechnology companies, including Pfizer, GSK, GW Pharma, Vifor, Helperby, Novartis, Unilever, Verona Pharma and Reckitt. These partnerships enable research grants, consultancy agreements, postgraduate studentships and knowledge transfer partnerships. The UK’s first Professor of Pharmaceutical Innovation, Gino Martini, has a key role in driving new discoveries and inventions by King’s staff into clinical and pharmaceutical development. Our spinout companies, including MedPharm and Proximagen Neuroscience plc. own substantial drug delivery and formulation patent portfolios.
Being part of a large multi-disciplinary university allows us to specialise in
joined-up thinking.
Staff in the Department of Pharmacy & Forensic Science work alongside colleagues in biomedical science, medicine, psychiatry, neuroscience, the arts and more, pooling knowledge and resources to make a real impact on health sciences and practice. As a member of the Iron Metabolism Research Group, Robert Hider, Emeritus Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, works with King’s experts in nutrition and immunology to investigate genetic and environmental factors contributing to iron overload and other related diseases.
From the first year of your degree, King’s MPharm students learn and gain clinical experience within some of the UK’s leading NHS Trust pharmacy departments at Guy’s, St Thomas’, King’s College and Maudsley Hospitals. And, every year, ten pre-registration training placements at
King’s Health Partners
are earmarked for King’s graduates, with a further 20 places available for competitive entry.
King’s Waterloo Campus, home to the Department of Pharmacy & Forensic Science, stands in the very heart of
London
Molecules to Medicine
Our research strategy is designed to capture and highlight the broad range of research that ranges from basic science that can lead to novel drug targets and new chemical entities, through formation and drug development activities, to clinical trials and the use of medicines by patients.
By zooming in to the nanoscale (one millionth of a millimetre), our researchers are exploring new ways to develop drugs and diagnostic tools. Dr Khuloud Al-Jamal, Senior Lecturer in
Nanomedicine won the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s ‘Science Award’ in 2012 for her work in designing and developing nanoscale drug delivery systems. Her current work involves using novel nanomaterials in therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
All eyes were on King’s Drug Control Centre during the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games, which managed the anti-doping facility in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. Over 150 scientists worked around the clock, analysing samples from athletes, to test for the presence of performanceenhancing drugs, to help protect the integrity of the Games.
The underlying
Philosophy
of King’s MPharm degree is Science Transforming Healthcare Our goal is to ensure that all of our graduates apply scientific principles to ensure the best use of medicines by patients, the public, healthcare professionals and society.
The
quality of teaching at King’s is acknowledged by many people, but our alumni are often our greatest ambassadors. MPharm graduate Natasha Callendar wrote during her pre-registration training year ‘to acknowledge the excellent support and guidance during my degree and for providing a fantastic learning experience.’ She said: ‘In my fourth year, I was also able to undertake clinical research experience abroad at University California San Francisco. ‘Staff have continued to provide support after my graduation. I was invited to attend a weekend revision session in the Spring to assist with preparating for the summer registration exam. ‘The Department of Pharmacy at King’s have truly gone the extra mile, to ensure that I am equipped with the skills, knowledge and experiences to ensure that I can deliver highly effective pharmaceutical care.’
Professor Jayne Lawrence (pictured) is currently Chief Pharmacist at the
Royal
Pharmaceutical Society, a role with responsibility for ensuring that the Society’s members are kept up-to-date with the latest scientific developments in pharmacy. Professor Lawrence and three other senior staff members, Professors Peter Hylands (Head of Department), Graham Davies and David Taylor, have been designated Royal Pharmaceutical Society Faculty Fellows which acknowledges their status as advanced pharmacy practitioners.
King’s Department of Pharmacy is based in the Franklin-Wilkins Building at the Waterloo Campus. The fifth floor of this purpose-built building offers dedicated teaching, research and social
space for pharmacy staff and students, which helps to support our strong sense of community and united identity.
King’s staff are prominent authors within their fields of expertise. Drs David Barlow and David Mountford are joint authors of Chemistry of Drugs, a new
textbook published in 2014 which ‘covers the essential organic and biological chemistry that undergraduate pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences students need to know’.
As part of your MPharm degree, you can study abroad within the European
Union
or even further afield, to undertake your final year research project.
King’s Department of Pharmacy & Forensic Science hosts a comprehensive
virtual
campus – known as KEATS – from which students can access all aspects of your programme, from staff contact details, timetables, lecture notes, handbooks and other important notices.
‘Pharmacy and Pharmacology’ at King’s is ranked 12th in the
world.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015
You are looking at one of the world’s most significant photographs. This
X-ray
diffraction image, named ‘Photo 51’, was taken by King’s scientist Rosalind Franklin in 1952. It demonstrated the helical structure of DNA, which led to the first correct model of the DNA molecule being built. King’s important part in the DNA story is reflected in the leading role that the College’s researchers continue to play today in many areas of biomedical science.
King’s Pharmacy students were praised by England’s chief pharmacist Keith Ridge for their activities during the National Pharmacy Association’s
Ask
your Pharmacist Week
Our students took part in roadshows to increase public awareness of pharmacy services, held in community pharmacies, hospitals and even shopping centres across South London. Many members of the public were unaware that pharmacists have the expertise to answer medicine and health-related questions, as well as being committed to helping communities live healthier lifestyles.
Visiting Professor Trevor Jones CBE is one of the most influential people in the British pharmaceutical industry. His distinguished career includes eight years as the main board director of The Wellcome Foundation, where he was responsible for R&D, including the development of medicines such as AZT (for HIV/AIDS),
Zovirax
TM
(for the herpes simplex virus), Malarone (for malaria) and Zomig (for migraine).
Find out more about Pharmacy at King’s College London >>
Produced by Communications & Management Support Unit School of Bioscience Education © King’s College London - September 2014