On January 1, 2019, Emory’s Department of Pharmacology changed its name to the "Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology."
Pharmacology and Chemical Biology faculty have been discussing the planned name change with colleagues across the university since 2017. The change reflects a broadening of vision: from fundamental science of drugs to tools (chemical probes) targeted to disease-related proteins. Traditional pharmacology examines drugs’ mechanism of action, while chemical biology is oriented toward dissecting the machinery of life using chemical probes, says department chair Haian Fu.
"If we define pharmacology as the use of chemistry to modulate biology for medical purposes, then 'chemical biology' is a more general term, including the exploitation of the chemistry-biology interface to provide insights into biology’s most fundamental aspects," Fu says. Such insights will in turn help better our understanding of human diseases and make better medicines.
Pharmacology and Chemical Biology sees itself as an "interface department," connecting basic discovery and clinical advances, he says. The name change harmonizes with related initiatives, such as the recruitment of new faculty with envisioned interface roles, and cross-campus educational and therapeutic innovation activities.
Incorporating "Chemical biology" also has the support of chemistry faculty, and aligns the renamed department with the Departments of Chemistry and Biology within Emory College of Arts & Sciences. |