The Integrative Pharmacology Core is very active in supporting direct experimentation and in providing other (theoretical/statistical) support services with colleagues both within Temple. University and externally. Studies with combinations of drugs of abuse represented a major activity of the Core. It continues to provide expertise in in vivo pharmacology and drug interaction studies to faculty, technicians, graduate and medical students at Temple University School of Medicine and externally. Beyond Temple, the comprehensive nature of the testing procedures has attracted collaborative interactions over the past 5 years. The Core offers pharmacological testing services for numerous endpoints in mice and/or rat, including: a neurological screen for overt behavior;tests for motor coordination;automatic monitoring of ambulation and stereotypies;analgesic/tolerance tests for acute, persistent and incisional pain;anti-inflammatory activity;antipruritic activity;body and brain temperature measurement;physical dependence/withdrawal;diuresis;oximetry;and stomach emptying, intestinal and colonic transit. The Core personnel also train and/or assist with various techniques such as icv drug administration, microinjection into specific brain nuclei, and microdialysis in various brain sites. In addition, the Core assists in experimental design and data analysis of various drug combinations. This Core has been well utilized by numerous Temple faculty members as well scientists outside of Temple. The services performed by the Core have enabled many investigators without prior experience in in vivo testing to add another dimension to their work without dramatically increasing their budgets. This factor has resulted in new collaborations, sparking novel approaches to solving age-old problems of tolerance and dependence, and innovative ideas for therapeutics. Over the following 5 years, the Integrative Core will be used to evaluate and characterize novel compounds in standard in vivo screens;to improve/develop existing procedures in tune with advancing technology;to provide training in a variety of techniques;to assist in conducting in vivo studies for laboratories that do not normally do such testing;and to collaborate in new research projects both within and without Temple University.
The Integrative Pharmacology Core has aided investigators doing cutting edge research to extend their investigations to include animal models, new research design methods, and drug interaction studies. Training is provided to junior faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. New approaches to studying drug interactions have been put forth. New hypotheses have resulted from this work, including the proposal that chemokines are a third major transmitter system in the brain.
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