Pharmacology / Toxicology Project Ideas
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Studying the Effects of Chemicals, Drugs, and Natural Products
Pharmacology is the study of how drugs or natural products affect human or animal physiology. Toxicology is closely related, studying harmful effects of chemicals, natural products, or drugs. Often, something that is beneficial (or even essential) at one dosage can become toxic at the wrong dosage. Because the body metabolizes compounds, and because the breakdown products, in turn, can be pharmacologically active (or even toxic), tracing the effects of a drug is a very complex process. Also, because our cells are tiny biochemical factories, with many processes running in parallel, compounds can easily have multiple effects. In fact, pharmacologists have a saying about compounds: "There's the effect that you know, and then there's the effect that you don't know."
If any of these fascinating pharmacology and toxicology topics sound interesting to you, check out the Project Ideas below:
- The effects of drugs and artificial agents on humans and animals
- Learning ways to effectively repel insects
- How certain preventative measures are effective in preventing diseases
- How environmental conditions affect the well-being of humans and animals
| Project Ideas | Difficulty: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Easy (for beginners) | Hard | ||||||||||
| Whiteflies are a group of closely related insect species whose larvae live on plants. Like aphids, they suck nutrients from the plant's circulatory system. What is the most effective method for fighting a whitefly infestation in your garden? This project has some ideas for you to try. |  |
Additional Project Ideas
Note: The following project ideas are abbreviated, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.
Antioxidants have become very popular in the news lately for their potential health and anti-aging properties. Antioxidants work by preventing oxidation reactions that produce free-radicals which can cause harm to the body. Try testing different vitamins for antioxidant activity. How do vitamins A, B, C, and E compare? Do some vitamins have more... When you take medicine, it needs to dissolve in order to be passed into your bloodstream to have an effect. On the other hand, the drug needs to be packed into a small, dense pill to make it easier to swallow. How does the delivery method of a drug change how quickly it enters the bloodstream? Compare different brands of a drug to find out which... Disinfectants are products that kill harmful bacteria that inhabit surfaces. Disinfectants can be in household and personal cleaning products. Which products work best? Compare different household cleaning products, like bleach or Lysol, to see which ones kill the most bacteria. Compare different brands of antibacterial hand soap or dish soap to... Antibiotics work by destabilizing the metabolism or cellular structure of bacteria, preventing growth, and causing bacteria to die. Some strains of bacteria have mutated and found a way to resist the actions of antibiotics. These are called resistant strains because they resist the actions of available antibiotic treatments. There are many... The overuse of antibiotics have raised concern by health officials because of the rise of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. How can we avoid the use of antibiotics? Are there other natural sources of antimicrobial compounds? Many plant products (like coffee, tea, herbs and spices) have been shown to contain compounds that act as... Did you know that a scientific study has shown that chewing Big Red Gum reduces mouth microbes? (ScienceDaily contributors, 2004) The cinnamon oil in the gum is a natural defense against mouth bacteria that cause tooth decay and bad breath. Conduct an experiment to compare products with cinnamon essence in gum, candy, toothpaste, and mouthwash to...Resources
Sources for Additional Project Ideas
- Ashleigh R., 2002. "Which Pain Reliever Has a Faster Dissolution Time: Brand or Generic?," Selah Jr. High, Selah, WA. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2002/AshleighR.html
- Brown, J., 2002. "What the Heck is Antibiotic Resistance?" University of Kansas, Dept. of Molecular Biosciences. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.people.ku.edu/~jbrown/resistance.htm
- Cowan, M. M., 1999. Plant Products as Antimicrobial Agents Clin Microbiol Rev. 1999 October; 12(4): 564–582. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=88925
- Hopkins, Z., and Watts, R. 2003. "Nuts and the Dark Side of Oxygen," Discovery Young Scientist Challenge. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040630/ScienceFairZone.asp
- MedlinePlus, 2006. "Antioxidants," Washington, DC: U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html
- Monier, E., 2003. "A Comparison of the Antimicrobial Capabilities of Raw Honey with Raw Honey Treated with Heat, Ethanol, or Ultraviolet Radiation," Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20031105/ScienceFairZone.asp
- NCBI, 2006. "NCBI Homepage," Washington, DC: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/
- Nicole S., 2002. "The Dissolution Time of Decongestants in Water and Stomach Acid," Selah Jr. High, Selah, WA. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2002/NicoleS.html
- Pittis, M., 2000. "Which Household Cleaners or Soaps Work Best Against Bacteria?" Summer Research Program for Science Teachers, Columbia University, New York, NY. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.scienceteacherprogram.org/biology/Pittis00.html
- Rajasingham, A. R., 2002. "Examining the Presence of Antimicrobial Properties in Allium sativum L," California State Science Fair, CSSF. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2002/Projects/S1426.pdf
- ScienceDaily contributors, 2004. "Popular Chewing Gum Eliminates Bacteria That Cause Bad Breath," ScienceDaily. [accessed: 5/1/06] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040401080031.htm
