University of Medicine, Taunggyi

Department of Pharmacology

Prof. Dr. Latt Latt Win
M.B.,B.S, M.Med.Sc, Ph.D (Pharmacology)
Dip.Med.Ed, D.C.M.E
Professor & Head

Former Department Head

No. Name Degree Duration
1. Prof. Dr. Nwe Nwe Than – –

History of Pharmacology

Pharmacology emerged as its own discipline in the 19th Century, branching off from research done in fields of science such as organic chemistry and physiology. Oswald Schmiedeberg, who was born in what is now Latvia in 1838, is considered the father of pharmacology. His doctoral thesis was on the measurement of chloroform levels in blood, and he went on to become a professor of pharmacology at the University of Strasburg, where he ran an institute of pharmacology.

Department of Pharmacology

Background History

The Department of Pharmacology, University of Medicine, Taunggyi was first established in January 2018. At that time, there was only three teaching staff in the department. Professor Nwe Nwe Than was the first and foremost head of the Department, and lecturer Dr Cho Cho Mar and assistant lecturer Dr Su Mon Thwe were the very first teaching staff of this department. After Prof Nwe Nwe Than was transferred to the University of Medicine, Mandalay, in November, 2018, Professor Latt Latt Win became the head of the Department since then. At present, there are altogether five faculty members in our department, namely Prof Latt Latt Win, Associate Professor Dr Wah Wah Oo, Lecturer Dr Cho Cho Mar, Assistant lecturer Dr Phyu Phyu Khine and Assistant lecturer Dr Saw Mya Nadi. Although we only have undergraduate classes at present, we are planning to start post graduate classes in the near future.

Branch of Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Pharmacodynamics is the study of the physiological or biological effects that varying concentrations of drugs have on the body over time. Most drugs may have effects on more than one part of the body, and some may cause unwanted side effects. Sometimes this is dependent on the dose of the drug.

Pharmacokinetics

Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body absorbs, metabolizes, and excretes drugs. A drug may be administered orally, parenterally (such as through an injection), or intravenously (into the bloodstream, through an IV). The kidney is the main organ that filters out drugs from the body, but the lungs and sweat glands also have minor roles.

Others

Other areas in pharmacology that can involve both of the two main branches of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics include:

  • Clinical Pharmacology: focuses on the therapeutic uses of drugs and the factors that may affect the efficacy of a drug, such as age, pregnancy, disease, and combination in use with other drugs. It is also concerned with bioavailability, which is the proportion of a drug dose that is actually absorbed by the body instead of just passing through.
  • Toxicology: focuses on the adverse effects that drugs may have on the body. It examines side effects not only from drugs given therapeutically but also on chemicals that a person may be exposed to in their household, occupation, or environment.
Department of Pharmacology

Departmental Research

Name Title
Prof. Dr. Latt Latt Win Effect of metoclopramide on the pharmacokinetics of acetaminophen in healthy Myanmar volunteers (2007)
Effect of CYP2C19 polymorphism on the pharmacokinetics of gliclazide in healthy Myanmar volunteers (2014)
Dr. Wah Wah Oo Antidiarrhoeal effect of Psidium guajava Linn. (Ma-la-ka) in experimental animals (2009)
Apo E polymorphism and changes in responses to atorvastatin in hypercholesterolaemic subjects (2017)
Dr. Cho Cho Mar Antidiarrhoeal activity of Euphorbia hirta Linn. (Kywe-Kyaung-Hmin-Hsay)in experimental animals (2011)
Pharmacokinetics of amlodipine in healthy Myanmar volunteers with different genotypes of CYP3A5 (2018)
Dr. Phyu Phyu Khine Lipid lowering and antioxidant activities of fresh juice of Hylocereus ployrhizus Weber (Britton and Rose ) (red dragon fruit ) in borderline dyslipidaemic subjects (2018)
Dr. Saw Mya Nadi Therapeutic drug monitoring of tacrolimus in renal transplant patients(2018)