Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Our international, multidisciplinary research spans life, physical and clinical sciences focused on investigating mechanisms of drug efficacy and toxicity. Our aim is to develop new, and improve existing, therapies for the benefit of patients.

We are a Queen’s Anniversary award-winning department internationally recognised for excellence in innovative research.

Our expertise lies in several areas of clinical and fundamental pharmacology and therapeutics and our state-of-the-art facilities enable scientists and clinicians to seamlessly work together in collaborative research.

Our aim is to improve patient care through the development of better medicines that are safe and effective.

Staff in the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Our challenges

Infection pharmacology

Our focus is to investigate the mechanisms influencing anti-infective distribution, activity and toxicity with the aim of improving therapies.
Personalised medicine

Our world leading personalised health research paves the way for uniquely treating individuals based on their genetics and other health data
Immunopharmacology

We undertake basic and clinical research to characterize drug interactions with immune cells and identify novel drug targets.
Drug safety science

Improving patient safety by developing an in-depth understanding of adverse drug reactions
Antimicrobials and AMR

The Antimicrobials and AMR team unites Liverpool’s strengths in clinical pharmacology, therapeutics, data sciences and population health to address the global threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Neuropharmacology, neurosciences, neurogenomics

The central nervous system (CNS) remains a major challenge in medical science due to its complexity and inaccessibility, leaving many brain and spinal cord disease mechanisms unknown.
Long acting therapeutics and nano-medicines

We aim to broaden understanding of long-acting medicines, create new interventions and accelerate the research and development of new therapies.
Cardiovascular Pharmacology

We are dedicated to developing personalised treatments for cardiovascular disease and similar conditions, aiming to improve patient outcomes and bridge the gap between primary, secondary, and tertiary care systems.

Centres of Excellence

Centre of Excellence for Long Acting Therapeutics (CELT)

The Centre of Excellence in Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT) aims to broaden understanding of long-acting medicines, create new interventions and accelerate the research and development of new therapies.

Centre for Drug Safety Science (CDSS)

The Centre for Drug Safety Science aims to inform the future design of medicines, act as a catalyst for future research, provide an environment for cross-disciplinary collaboration and for training the next generation of drug safety scientists.

Research centres

XJTLU – University of Liverpool Joint Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics (JCPT)

The Joint Centre for Pharmacology and Therapeutics (JCPT) is a joint venture between the University of Liverpool’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) Academy of Pharmacy.

Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (TherEx)

Improving health and wellbeing by optimising the use of existing drugs and accelerating the development of new treatments. Through clinical trials and experimental medicine, TherEx delivers significant health impact in therapeutics.

Research groups

David Price Evans Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group
Immunocompatibility Group
Teixobactins
Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics and Therapeutics
Neurogenomics

Case studies

Reducing the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV

DolPHIN 2 is a multinational project led by the University of Liverpool which aims to reduce the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV through research into a new HIV drug called dolutegravir (DTG).

Managing toxicity when treating cancer with next-generation drugs

We are researching the newest next-generation drugs – actual biological structures themselves that bind to and stimulate the immune system – to treat patients with more advanced, malignant cancers and dealing with the toxicity that can accompany these novel therapies.

Facilities

Centre for Proteome Research

The Centre of Proteome Research (CPR) develops and applies advanced proteomics technologies to address questions across the biological and biomedical sciences, operating as both a research hub and a Shared Research Facility (SRF) within LIV-SRF.
Liverpool Bioanalytical Facility

The Liverpool Bioanalytical Facility (BAF) is a GCLP-accredited laboratory established and managed by senior academic pharmacologists within ISMIB in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The BAF supports diverse clinical studies ranging from small Phase 0-1 first-in-man studies, to large multicentre randomised clinical trials.
Human Liver Research Facility

The Human Liver Research Facility (HLRF) enables wider access to human liver materials for research purposes. Established in 2022, HLRF builds on a successful 10+ year collaboration between academic staff in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Hepatobiliary Unit at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT).