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Biochemistry vs Pharmacy for RESEARCH

I know this was discussed in the past multiple times, and what seems to be recurring is the fact that job prospects for pharmacists are a lot better.

However, I always wanted to go into research (I did a work experience in a hospital pharmacy, and it was ridiculously boring), I want to be always discovering new things, I want to be thinking of new ways to cultivate a culture, I want to come into work excited about what I'm going to find under the microscope or when I do a test, I want to publish papers.

I don't care if it's private industry or uni research. Pay , of course, is important but it's not the end of the world if I get an average salary. I know that I'll have to do a PhD, I was planning to do that ragardless of which course I get into anyway.

If you're a pharmacy/biochemistry student or someone who's working in research please reply. Thank you in advance!

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Reply 1
Anyone???
Reply 2
hello?
Reply 3
Still waiting............
i'm going to do biomedical sciences, a lot of research opportunities it gives
Reply 5
Original post by elforjg02
i'm going to do biomedical sciences, a lot of research opportunities it gives


Howdoes it compare to Pharmacy/Biochemistry......... What I'm trying to say is: Why Biomedical Sciences.?
Original post by Dominator1
Howdoes it compare to Pharmacy/Biochemistry......... What I'm trying to say is: Why Biomedical Sciences.?


well it's the study of disease and all that so you get to research to find new cures and medicine to many diseases. You study microbiology and pathology which are really important for research
Reply 7
Original post by elforjg02
well it's the study of disease and all that so you get to research to find new cures and medicine to many diseases. You study microbiology and pathology which are really important for research


You also study these modules in both Biochemistry and Pharmacy. What advantage does Biomedical sciences have?
There is a difference between Pharmacy and Pharmacology. One (the former) is an allied healthcare profession which supports patients in dispensing medicines and providing advice on their prescriptions . The other is an academic discipline focused on understanding the mechanism of drug actions and design and implementation of new drugs. The latter is studied as a component of Medicine (also Vet Med and Dentistry) and Biomedical Science, albeit in somewhat different ways and for different ends.

Thus the latter is an active research area in the biomedical sciences because naturally understanding how the drugs work, and how to create new ones to treat and manage various illnesses that do not currently have a treatment - for example HIV and AIDS. Research in the former would mainly be focused on the patient outcomes - how to improve adherence, developing better community healthcare practices, and similar.
Reply 9
Original post by artful_lounger
There is a difference between Pharmacy and Pharmacology. One (the former) is an allied healthcare profession which supports patients in dispensing medicines and providing advice on their prescriptions . The other is an academic discipline focused on understanding the mechanism of drug actions and design and implementation of new drugs. The latter is studied as a component of Medicine (also Vet Med and Dentistry) and Biomedical Science, albeit in somewhat different ways and for different ends.

Thus the latter is an active research area in the biomedical sciences because naturally understanding how the drugs work, and how to create new ones to treat and manage various illnesses that do not currently have a treatment - for example HIV and AIDS. Research in the former would mainly be focused on the patient outcomes - how to improve adherence, developing better community healthcare practices, and similar.


That's insightful, thanks.

How about Biochemistry?
Original post by Dominator1
You also study these modules in both Biochemistry and Pharmacy. What advantage does Biomedical sciences have?


I haven't started the course yet but with biomedical sciences you study alot more about human biology compared to the other two courses
Original post by Dominator1
That's insightful, thanks.

How about Biochemistry?


Biochemistry is the more fundamental science that underpins Pharmacology (and most modern Biology and Biomedical Science) - the fundamental (bio)chemical interactions which give rise to various physiological functions and effects. Some key aspects of biochemistry for undergraduates is understanding metabolism and various metabolic pathways in the (typically mammalian) physiology, and protein structure and function. Both of these in turn relate to a huge number of different aspects of physiology and pathology in biomedical sciences generally, as well as various other areas such as in developmental biology (from human to simple animal models, or within the plant sciences).

So you'll cover some amount of biochemistry in any biomolecular focused degree - which is almost every Bioscience degree that isn't wholly focused on e.g. ecology and/or conservation science. Even e.g. Zoology or Plant Science is very likely to have some element of biochemistry relating to developmental or physiological aspects of the subject.
Reply 12
Original post by artful_lounger
Biochemistry is the more fundamental science that underpins Pharmacology (and most modern Biology and Biomedical Science) - the fundamental (bio)chemical interactions which give rise to various physiological functions and effects. Some key aspects of biochemistry for undergraduates is understanding metabolism and various metabolic pathways in the (typically mammalian) physiology, and protein structure and function. Both of these in turn relate to a huge number of different aspects of physiology and pathology in biomedical sciences generally, as well as various other areas such as in developmental biology (from human to simple animal models, or within the plant sciences).

So you'll cover some amount of biochemistry in any biomolecular focused degree - which is almost every Bioscience degree that isn't wholly focused on e.g. ecology and/or conservation science. Even e.g. Zoology or Plant Science is very likely to have some element of biochemistry relating to developmental or physiological aspects of the subject.


So, in your opinion, which course is the best route to research?
Original post by Dominator1
So, in your opinion, which course is the best route to research?


That really depends what are of research you would like to pursue. Both Biochemistry and BMS are suitably broad to allow you to pursue many aspects of bioscience research. Pharmacology is a bit narrower - depending on the course structure (this also applies to the former two to an extent) it would obviously be good preparation for pharmacology research, and possibly medicinal chemistry and/or drug design, as well as various more specific projects in e.g. physiology, biomedicine etc.
Reply 14
Original post by artful_lounger
That really depends what are of research you would like to pursue. Both Biochemistry and BMS are suitably broad to allow you to pursue many aspects of bioscience research. Pharmacology is a bit narrower - depending on the course structure (this also applies to the former two to an extent) it would obviously be good preparation for pharmacology research, and possibly medicinal chemistry and/or drug design, as well as various more specific projects in e.g. physiology, biomedicine etc.


So pharmacy is disadvantageoud if I want to pursue a career in research?
Original post by Dominator1
So pharmacy is disadvantageoud if I want to pursue a career in research?


Well if you're interested in Pharmacy research, such as that on this page then no, it would be advantageous. If you're interested in "basic science" research, as opposed to clinical research in the realms of Pharmacy, then possibly slightly - but a Pharmacist needs to cover a good deal of basic biomedical science, i.e. physiology and pharmacology, in the course of the degree, in order to practice their profession. This background is similar to that of a BMS course or similar in some respects.

It's like asking if a medical degree is better or worse than those for continuing into research - it somewhat depends on the research. In general no, however the presentation of the material is targeted towards different aims so while the background is comparable it's been taught in a different way - and for some things, like clinical research, it may be a better background to some extent.

There is no "best preparation subject" for doing a PhD and then continuing in research, either in industry or academia, for any discipline. The things that make a difference are not syllabus/subject content based, but less obvious things - how well the student can critically appraise sources, pick up new material (regardless of what that material is) and synthesize that information to apply it to novel problems. These skills will be to some extent developed on any degree, but also depend somewhat on the student.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 16
Original post by elforjg02
I haven't started the course yet but with biomedical sciences you study alot more about human biology compared to the other two courses


Nice! Which university are you going to?
Reply 17
Original post by artful_lounger
Well if you're interested in Pharmacy research, such as that on this page then no, it would be advantageous. If you're interested in "basic science" research, as opposed to clinical research in the realms of Pharmacy, then possibly slightly - but a Pharmacist needs to cover a good deal of basic biomedical science, i.e. physiology and pharmacology, in the course of the degree, in order to practice their profession. This background is similar to that of a BMS course or similar in some respects.

It's like asking if a medical degree is better or worse than those for continuing into research - it somewhat depends on the research. In general no, however the presentation of the material is targeted towards different aims so while the background is comparable it's been taught in a different way - and for some things, like clinical research, it may be a better background to some extent.

There is no "best preparation subject" for doing a PhD and then continuing in research, either in industry or academia, for any discipline. The things that make a difference are not syllabus/subject content based, but less obvious things - how well the student can critically appraise sources, pick up new material (regardless of what that material is) and synthesize that information to apply it to novel problems. These skills will be to some extent developed on any degree, but also depend somewhat on the student.


But what if I said that I wanted to research cancer, would your answer differ or would it be the same? Does the degree affect the subject of research?
Original post by Dominator1
But what if I said that I wanted to research cancer, would your answer differ or would it be the same? Does the degree affect the subject of research?


A biochemistry degree prepares you better for research than pharmacy imo.
What area of cancer do you want to research ?Cancer is a big area.
Do you want to research new treatments,new ways to diagnose cancers,effectiveness of current cancer treatments etc.
Original post by Dominator1
But what if I said that I wanted to research cancer, would your answer differ or would it be the same? Does the degree affect the subject of research?


Cancer research is pretty broad, but a lot of it is vey fundamental and focuses on the basic aspects of developmental biology and cell signalling that are well covered in a biochemistry course as opposed to the more "applied" aspects of e.g. human physiology and pharmacology. If you want to research new chemotherapy treatments then pharmacology is probably reasonable. If you want to understand and research the underlying mechanisms of the disease biochemistry is probably the best and broadest background. Pharmacy wouldn't really be as relevant as you wouldn't cover as much of the "basic" science aspect, unless you were interested in patient outcomes and wellbeing during cancer treatment by e.g. Chemotherapy or something I guess.

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