The Pharmacology Teaching and Research Section of Fujian Medical University was first established in 1954. It focuses on teaching and research of pharmacology, and integrates Research Institute of Snake Venom and Research Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, etc. to form Pharmacology Department. It is one of the important core disciplines of medical science and pharmacy. The pharmacology discipline of our university is among the first batch of disciplines (1984) that acquired master's degree authorization, and gained doctor's degree authorization too in 2003, making it the single authorization station for master's degree and doctor's degree in Fujian. In 2005, the pharmacology discipline has been elected as a key pharmacology discipline of higher education in Fujian. Taking the opportunity of constructing key colleges and universities in Fujian, this discipline integrates subjects related to new drug research on the basis of pharmacology, builds up new drug R&D link, and has initially established innovative drug R&D platform, initially form innovative drug R&D team of Fujian province, completely enhancing the teaching and scientific research level of our School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and providing an industrialized technical support system for medicine related industries in our province.
Academic Team
This discipline is equipped with 6 doctoral supervisors, 9 master supervisors, 7 professors, 8 associate professors and 7 lecturers, including 8 people with doctor's degree, 15 with master's degree, 3 overseas returnees, 2 enjoying Special Allowance from the State Council, 1 excellent key teacher in national colleges and universities, 3 candidates of the “Millions of Talents Project” of Fujian province and 4 training objects as trans-century discipline pace-setters. This School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is the director unit of Professional Committee of Pharmacology of Fujian Pharmaceutical Society. 6 of its professors are taking office in state academic societies, including 1 director of Chinese Pharmacological Society, 2 vice-chairmen and 6 committee members in state second-class academic societies. This discipline has initially formed an academic team that is reasonably structured in knowledge, age, education background and professional titles, enjoying the privilege of gathering excellent talents, high academic level and relatively powerful influence among national similar disciplines, and has initially developed an innovative drug R&D team in Fujian.
Construction of Shared Platform for Scientific Research
To conscientiously strengthen our capacity for developing new drugs, improve our R&D link for new drugs, according to the current research fields and drug R&D link of this discipline and with the support from special construction funds for provincial key discipline of pharmacology, it has established Molecular Pharmacology Research Platform, Tumor Pharmacology Research Platform, Toxicant Metabolism & Pharmacy Metabolism Research Platform, Neuropharmacology Research Platform, Bio-peptide Biochemical Pharmacology Research Platform, Protein & Peptides Separation Purification Technology Platform, Pharmacy Analysis Research Platform, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (including Phytochemistry) Shared Scientific Research Platform and GLP Platform now is under construction. It initially established an integrated platform for innovative drug research in our province – Fujian Biomedical Engineering Research Center that meets the need of this discipline for scientific research and new drug R&D, and drives the development of disciplines related to new drug R&D. In 2005, it was approved to build Basic Pharmacology & Toxicology Laboratory for Higher Education jointly established by central and local governments. In 2006, it was approved to build Natural Pharmacy & Pharmacology Key Laboratory for Higher Education in Fujian province. So far, it has built up laboratories for scientific research covering 1,500 m2, and it has been facilitated with relatively advanced instrument and equipment, including 22 instrument and equipment each of which is worth more than 50 thousand yuan, and the total value of all its instrument and equipment amounts to 15 million yuan.
This discipline enjoys the single authorization station in Fujian province for master's degree and doctor's degree of pharmacology. It now has 6 doctoral supervisors and 16 postgraduate supervisors. Currently, it has 20 doctoral candidates and 60 master-degree candidates and has already cultivated 90 postgraduates for master's degree and 9 postgraduates for doctor's degree. In 2005, Pharmacology of this discipline was chosen as Elaborate Undergraduate Course of Fujian Province. In 2006, Pharmacology was chosen as Excellent Master-degree Course of Fujian Province. In 2007, faculty of pharmacology was selected as Provincial-level Teaching Team. This discipline is the main base for further study on pharmacology in Fujian and has cultivated more than 30 pharmacology teachers for brother colleges and universities.
Scientific Research
Since 2000, it has won 2 second prizes and 3 third prizes of Provincial Award for Progress in Science and Technology, and 2 national patent authorizations; it has published more than 200 scientific research papers in total, 30 of which have been cited in source periodicals of Science Citation Index (SCI); it has gained 52 national or provincial (departmental) scientific research fund tasks, including 1 of National 863 Projects (achieved the zero breakthrough for National 863 Projects in our school), 4 of Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and 6 of provincial major and key programs, etc., with total scientific research funds up to 4.1 million yuan. In October 2001, it successfully organized the “7th National Academic Conference on Tumor Pharmacology and Chemotherapy” with the attendance of more than 500 people; in July 2004, it successfully organized the “11th National Academic Conference on Neuropharmacology” with the attendance of more than 200 people; in November 2005, it successfully organized the “7th National Academic Conference on Biotoxin” with the attendance of more than 100 people, which have expanded the influence of this discipline, strengthened the exchange and cooperation with counterparts both at home and abroad and were highly praised by experts and professors in the same industry. According to the development trend of this discipline, its pilot study and traditional features, with the goal of knowledge innovation and new drug R&D, it has developed and shaped the following 6 research directions that are relatively stable and have certain distinguishing features: tumor pharmacology; neuropharmacology; bio-peptide biochemical pharmacology; natural pharmacy; new drug preclinical evaluation and nano electrochemical biosensor. It has achieved dramatic breakthroughs in research fields like molecular mechanism of anti-cancer effect of curcumin, melatonin analgesia and anti-morphine dependence and its central mechanism, basic and application research of biosensor, pharmacy analysis and disease diagnosis, etc., which has been highly remarked by counterparts both at home and abroad. Its new drug research and development work has also gained progress. Now, it is carrying out one pre-clinical research on national Class I new anti-cancer drug; it has obtained over 10 officinal active substances, for example, it has 7 curcumin derivatives and 3 alkaloids monomers of gelsegium elegans benth that will be developed into Class I new drug candidates.