Formulation Science: Continued

  In a recent blog post, I discussed the essentials of the Formulation Science discipline, using a long explanation involving cake. I am not a Formulation Chemist, but I quite liked writing this post. For my own enjoyment, and to be more technical, here’s a follow up! The Role of Formulation Science So, Formulation is an essential … Read more

Five shorter (political) stories: 2

  The UK is a worrying place to live at the moment, with soothsayers preaching about economic, social and environmental collapse at every street corner (or posting about it on Facebook, at least). This makes it a perfect time to post a few stories about factors leading to political persuasion! In science we trust. Research … Read more

Four shorter stories: 1

  This blog exists as a canvas on which I paint my various musings on science and medicine (and some other things). Years of training does more than just make you able to interpret scientific findings – it makes you acutely aware of how much else there is out there to learn! But sometimes I don’t have … Read more

How anyone can be a Scientist

  What is Citizen Science and why should I care? Citizen science is a brand new area of scientific research that has only received proper acknowledgement in the last few decades, and it is an area in which everyone can get involved. In particular, areas such as bird-watching (ornithology) or astronomy lend themselves to this … Read more

Microbiomes and Moods

Our Friendly Gut Bacteria The recent discovery of the importance of our Microbiome (our “friendly” gut bacteria) has served as a critical reminder to medical researchers that the body does not exist as a series of disconnected notes or phrases, but as a wondrous song with many interconnected melodies and harmonies that each play an … Read more

Problems in Pharmacology: Clinical Trials and Molecular Markers

This week’s post follows on from something I touched on last week: the issues in the drug design process. Drug design tends to be stem either from mimicry of molecules the chemist knows that the drug target already interacts with (such as a substrate that binds to an enzyme) or from knowledge of the potential’s … Read more

Problems in Pharmacology: Definitions and crossing the Biology/Chemistry Border

I thought a good way to begin this blog was with a series of posts dedicated to defining what exactly pharmacology is, and the inherent difficulties in studying  and practicing it. First of all: definitions! Chemistry is the study of the composition, properties and behaviour of matter, whilst biology is the study of life and … Read more