School of Pharmacy Research Summer Program Gives Undergraduates a Taste of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Pacific University School of Pharmacy hosted 11 undergraduate students over the summer to perform research in pharmaceutical sciences. Students were partnered with faculty mentors for their research experiences. Their projects ranged from investigating toxins from cone snails, virtual and in-lab drug screening to discover antihypertensive compounds, using natural products to prevent liver toxicity as well as validating therapeutic targets in parasites.

In addition to research, students participated in elevator pitches, a career panel, a visit to the Oregon National Primate Research Center and gave final presentations on their research. The summer research program was funded by the School of Pharmacy, an American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows award, and two National Institute of Health grants. This was the last year of the ASPET award and the School of Pharmacy is actively submitting a new application to renew this critical award for another 3 years.