Drug Safety & Toxicology
Toxicology, which essentially means the study of poisonings and poisoning symptoms, encompasses all knowledge of how drugs and other chemicals can induce various types of negative health effects in humans.
Teaching in toxicology therefore includes the significance of exposure in inducing toxicity, the importance of metabolism in the toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of drugs and other chemicals, mechanisms behind the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals in different organ systems, mechanisms of chemical carcinogenesis and fetal damage, and the significance of individual-related factors in inducing toxicity. In our teaching, we strongly focus on the toxicological risk assessment of chemical carcinogens, and on the safety assessment of drugs and drug side effects. We offer courses both at the basic level and at the advanced level, and some of these courses are briefly described further down the page. If you want to know more about our courses, you can also click on the links below, which will take you to the course's website on the Student Portal.
The research activities at the department include bioactivation and toxicity, developmental toxicology, genetic toxicology, neurotoxicology, and epigenetics - all of which are usually offered as 30 credit thesis projects. When it comes to thesis projects in toxicology, these are usually laboratory-based, but it is also possible to undertake 15/30 credit projects of an investigative nature. The latter type of thesis projects is carried out as internal or external projects at, for example, the National Food Agency or the Uppsala Monitoring Center (if projects & supervision can be offered during the current semester). Contact the study director if you want to establish contact with our national or international partners.
