Research

Research in pharmacology covers many areas and uses many techniques, but underlying this diversity is a common theme--the investigation of the interaction of chemical substances with biological systems. Our research programs span from the atomic-level to the whole organism, and are highly collaborative within the department and throughout Yale.

The Pharmacology Department has strong ties with the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, enabling interested students to follow clinical research in these areas. Students and Postdoctoral scholars in the Pharmacology Department also have the opportunity to interact with scientists and clinicians from a variety of other departments and disciplines at Yale, including Biology, Chemistry, Pathology, Human Genetics, Medicine, Psychiatry, Physiology, Laboratory Medicine, Cell Biology, Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience.

Research in the Department of Pharmacology focuses on four specific areas:

Yale University maintains exceptional laboratory facilities for research and training in all aspects of the biological and biomedical sciences. There are excellent centers for instrumentation which are accessible to all researchers. These include: the Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory (which provides genomic and proteomic services such as DNA sequencing, oligo synthesis, microarray, amino acid analysis, peptide synthesis, mass spectrometry, protein sequencing and biophysical analysis of macromolecules), the Center for Structural Biology (which houses state of the art X-ray diffraction equipment, crystallization robotic systems and molecular graphics facility), the Center for Cell Imaging (which includes facilities for electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, scanning laser confocal microscopy, and computer-generated image reconstruction and analysis), central laboratories for production of transgenic mice and monoclonal antibodies, an AIDS Research Core Facility, and the Magnetic Resonance Center.

The Medical School and Yale New Haven Hospital are active in bone marrow transplantation, and gene therapy research. Of special importance for the Molecular Medicine Program, the Yale Critical Technologies Program provides access to human tissues for research purposes. Yale is a leader in pharmacology and disease-oriented research. The Yale campus includes a world renowned medical center providing both primary care and tertiary referral services. Yale-New Haven Hospital, the primary teaching hospital of Yale Medical School provides acute care beds, operates extensive ambulatory services, and houses the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center. Yale Medical School also houses the Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, and other state-of-the-art research facilities. This interactive community of clinicians and basic scientists fosters rapid interchange of ideas and provides fertile ground for conceptual advances and translational research.

• Vascular Biology & Therapeutics Program
• Integrative Cell Signaling & Neurobiology of Metabolism
• Cancer Biology Program
• Developmental Therapeutics Program