Institute for Pharmacology

The Institute for Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology is engaged in research and service tasks in all areas related to the effects of drugs. These tasks include in the molecular pharmacological area the clarification of effect mechanisms and in certain cases also the further development of medications.

The Clinical Pharmacology department serves in the optimization of drug therapy throughout the University Clinic. This takes the form of advising, conducting of joint research projects, and collaboration in central committees at the University Clinic, such as the Drug Commission. The Institute also actively participates in the organization and performance of clinical studies on new drugs at the Coordination Center for Clinical Studies.

Core research elements at the pharmacological institute are coronary and vascular diseases, with cardiac infarctions and blood platelet function disorders in the forefront of the scientific wo

Patient care

In correlation with the core research element of the Institute, patient care centers on cardiac and vascular diseases. In the clinical pharmacological laboratory at the Institute, prostaglandins (circulatory hormones) are measured regularly for clinical investigations. Other important factors for the optimization of drug therapy in the blood or urine are also determined there on request. In addition, the Institute has a telephone-based information service on current issues in drug therapy, which of course also includes questions on drug interactions and side effects.

The Institute for Pharmacology works closely with the Clinic for Nephrology, the Clinic for Cardiology, the Clinic for Vascular Surgery, the Institute for Clinical Anesthesiology, as well as the Institute for Hemostaseology and Transfusion Medicine.

Research and teaching

The core research elements at the Institute involve the scientific study of the cardiovascular system, as these diseases continue to represent the primary cause of death in western industrialized countries.

These core elements include studies of the mechanisms of cardiac infarction and its treatment in appropriate animal models, as well as work on atherosclerosis, including studies on cell culture models. The pharmacologists also conduct research on the activating mechanisms of blood platelets and on the mechanisms of vascular wall thickening after catheterization.

In addition, the employees at the Institute are also involved in studies related to cardiac rhythm disturbances. The investigated drug classes contain predominantly drugs that effect the cardiovascular system, including medications to treat cardiac rhythm disturbances, organic nitrates, prostaglandins, and drugs that prevent vascular occlusion through thromboses, such as acetyl salicylic acid, which is used widely as a headache medication. The results obtained in this research are published regularly in the leading international journals and presented at the relevant international conferences.

The educational offering covers all areas of pharmacology and clinical pharmacology for students of human medicine, dental medicine, pharmacology, and psychology. Students can also obtain specialized continuing education in conjunction with dissertations. In addition, the Institute is available subject to capacity constraints at any time to host other colleagues within the scope of further training as specialist for pharmacology and toxicology, as well as specialist for clinical pharmacology.

The Institute for Pharmacology maintains scientific collaboration with the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston, the Department of Vascular Surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine at the University of Jena in Erfurt, and the Federal Ministry for Drugs and Medicinal Products in Bonn. The Institute receives funding for a number of its projects through the DFG (German Research Cooperative) and also represents three subprojects in the special research area „Molecular Analysis of Cardiovascular Functions and Functional Disorders“ at the University of Duesseldorf.

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