• Oita University Faculty of Medicine Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

Research Field

The Department of Clinical Pharmacology's mission is to establish the rational use of drugs, through research, to maximize a drug's effectiveness while minimizing its side effects.
The effects of many drugs vary greatly depending on the patient. Even when administered in identical doses, the drug can be overly effective, creating unwanted, potentially harmful side effects, or conversely, have no effect at all.
Our research endeavors to identify factors that contribute to the differences in the effectiveness of such drugs and to establish a safe method for administering these drugs based upon those factors.
The following is a simple example of the research we are conducting in collaboration with Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, University of Shizuoka, Kyushu University, the University of Tokyo, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Hospital Organization Fukuoka Higashi Medical Center, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto etc.
Mainly, we are conducting seven studies.


Analysis of the factors that Pharmacokinetics (the process of drugs from being absorbed into the body to excretion) influence individual differences

Enzymes involved in drug metabolism and the actions of transporters (agents active when a chemical is transferred from blood to tissues) are affected by various factors.
We are conducting research to clarify how genetic factors, concomitant medications, disease, age and many other variables influence drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters.


Analysis Of Genetic Polymosphism On Drug Reaction

It has become clear that drug metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and genetic polymorphisms of drug receptor are the cause of individual differences in drug reaction.
We are conducting research to clarify the clinical efficacy based on the analysis of these genetic polymorphisms.


Clinical Pharmacological Studies Of Mind-Altering Drugs

We are conducting research about anti-anxiety and anti-depressant agents as well as sleeping pills used in the area of psychosomatic disorders. Our research aims for a more objective evaluation of these agents' clinical pharmacological properties and their proper clinical use.


Analysis Of Non-Specific Factors That Affect The Effectiveness Of Medicines

The effects of a drug are not solely determined by the action of that drug. In fact, various drug effects can be observed when a placebo is taken. A patient's anxiety, their expectations of the treatment, their trust (or distrust) of doctors and a wide range of non-specific factors must be considered. We are conducting research to identify these kinds of factors.


Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

We are conducting research on the rational design of drug administration through the effective use of blood drug concentration data obtained from patients.


Pharmacokinetic Studies Using Radiographic Imaging Diagnostic Equipment

In collaboration with the National Institute of Radiological Sciences' Molecular Imaging Center, we are able to use Using Positron Emission Tomography (P.E.T.) and ligands that bind specifically to certain receptors and transporters, allowing us to conduct pharmacokinetic research at the site of drug action in the brain.


Physician's Behavioral Science On Drug Prescription And Prescription Systems Research

We are conducting research to elucidate the existence and extent of modifying factors when doctors prescribe drugs, and to build a rational prescription system based on the evidence of clinical pharmacology.

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