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MEGA - Courses and Careers related to Drugs

^^

Just because Chemical Engineering doesn't have anything to do with engineering chemicals, doesn't mean that it can't be used as a damn good background for pharmacological grad school.

Chem Eng rocks :):)

/slightly biased quasi rant ;)
 
^^It does Rock! no question about it :) it just bothers me how often people are confused into thinking that "Chem-Es engineer Chems". Also, I'm a firm believer that virtually any Engineering undergrad major in a serious school is a good platform for any graduate program afterwards.




skjalff
 
^^

I'm glad we agree and understand...

One of the most frustrating questions I get when I tell people I'm a Chemical Engineer is 1stly, can you make drugs, and 2ndly can you make bombs.

I tell them that I could probably analyse the production methods and offer some advice as to OH&S etc... well I don't... usually I just slap them and move on ;)

CB :)
 
skyalf said:
^^It does Rock! no question about it :) it just bothers me how often people are confused into thinking that "Chem-Es engineer Chems". Also, I'm a firm believer that virtually any Engineering undergrad major in a serious school is a good platform for any graduate program afterwards.




skjalff
Click to expand...
Where did i ever say that a Chemical Engineer made drugs? I just pointed out that not only can a biochem undergrad most certainly go on to pharmaceuticals R&D, plenty of other majors can too, Chem.E. among them.

You might be interested in reading about this program: http://www.pharmacy.wisc.edu/pharmsci/
 
spacefacethebassace said:
Wow, ya'll are really making me second-guess my current career plans of getting a Pharm.D. Say, I find drugs and their applications to be a truly fascinating subject, everything about their actions in the body and specifically the brain, would I be better off with pharmacology/pharmaceutical sciences?
Click to expand...

As a Pharm.D (in the US at least) you would study all of that stuff during your training, but not actually use it while working as a pharmacist.
 
^^

As far as I know, biomedical engineering focusses on making artificial limbs/flesh, and has absolutely nothing to do with pharmaceuticals... at least that's what the go is here at the University of Sydney. Biomedical engineering is run through the Department of Mechanical Engineering here...

CB...
 
Chaos Butterfly said:
^^

As far as I know, biomedical engineering focusses on making artificial limbs/flesh, and has absolutely nothing to do with pharmaceuticals... at least that's what the go is here at the University of Sydney. Biomedical engineering is run through the Department of Mechanical Engineering here...

CB...
Click to expand...
I just realized I typed Biomedical Engineering.

I meant Biochemical Engineering--which is concenred with rational drug design. The major is available at the University of California.
 
complexPHILOSOPHY said:
Which U of C exactly?
Click to expand...
I know the Davis campus has it. I'd be pretty surprised if San Diego didn't, seeing as they're the top Bioengineering school in the country.

Edit: I just checked, San Diego has a "Pharmacological Chemistry" major.
 
starrs said:
I know the Davis campus has it. I'd be pretty surprised if San Diego didn't, seeing as they're the top Bioengineering school in the country.

Edit: I just checked, San Diego has a "Pharmacological Chemistry" major.
Click to expand...

UCSD is where I will be attending.

I wasn't doubting your information, I was simply asking which U of C (since you simply said the university of california) or if it was all UC's that had the degree.
 
complexPHILOSOPHY said:
UCSD is where I will be attending.

I wasn't doubting your information, I was simply asking which U of C (since you simply said the university of california) or if it was all UC's that had the degree.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm transferring down there to finish up my BS in Bioinformatics next fall.
 
starrs said:
Yeah, I'm transferring down there to finish up my BS in Bioinformatics next fall.
Click to expand...

Bioinformatics? They only accept a certain amount of applicants into that program, don't they?

What is Bioinformatics exactly? I have read about it on UCSD's website but it seemed vague.
 
starrs said:
I just realized I typed Biomedical Engineering.

I meant Biochemical Engineering--which is concenred with rational drug design. The major is available at the University of California.
Click to expand...

Cool :) Glad we cleared that up... there are WAAAAAAAY too many bio- thingies out there...

My departement has just changed its name from the School of Chemical Engineering to the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering...

eh.

CB :)
 
complexPHILOSOPHY said:
Bioinformatics? They only accept a certain amount of applicants into that program, don't they?

What is Bioinformatics exactly? I have read about it on UCSD's website but it seemed vague.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think there's more than one Bioinformatics program out there, though (one offered by the Computer Science department and one offered by the Bioengineering department).

It's basically just combining technology and bioengineering. Databases are a pretty big part of biological research (like with the Human Genome Project) so there's a lot of that going on. Same with models of Protein Folding and the like (like with the Folding @ Home project you can find at http://folding.stanford.edu ). It's like a computer programmer who knows his bioengineering.



Yeah, there definately are too many biothingies out there. At many of the UC campuses, there are like 10 majors that start with 'Bio'. It's insane.
 
I don't mean to hijack this...

But if I want my job to be playing with chemicals all day and making drugs...

that would be a pharmaceutical degree right?
 
read the whole thread... there is quite a lot of discussion on what the various degrees will let you end up doing.

Doing pharmacy will mean that you get to dispense drugs as a pharmacist.

Doing pharmacology will mean that you can study drug interactions etc.

Eh, it's too much effort to recap... have a full read through the thread and see what you can see :)

CB :)
 
Medicinal Organic Chemistry. It's what my husband does.

FYI, nearly every druggie I know at some point says 'omg I want to make drugs!' . Just be sure it's what you REALLY want to do and not a phase.
 
If you really want to design and make drugs, then a graduate program in Medicinal Chemistry is where the action is. A good background in organic chemistry is a must, but a Pharmacy degree can work, too,

Since the original poster mentioned psychiatric medicines, my recommendation is my major professor*, David E. Nichols, at Purdue School of Pharmacy. Be quick, Dave is in his 60s and will be retiring soon. His dopamine project has been continuously funded for 23 years, and his hallucinogen project for 25 years.

Also, be damned good - there are about 16 or so entering grad students to his department every year, and 22 faculty members. Usually two or three of those 18 want to work for Nichols, so be prepared to answer Dave's first question to you - "Are you good enough to work for me?".

* - I have been out of grad school for many years, Dave was my major professor twenty years ago.
 
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