Life science is dedicated to the study of all living organisms including human beings and animals, as such it has a great deal to do with most areas of modern science.
Those interested in studying life sciences will be able to specialise in a variety of fields including bio ethics, development biology, parasitology and cell biology.
Upon gaining a degree in life sciences, graduates will be able to gain employment in a large number of fields within the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Popular career paths include:
Clinical Research
Clinical researchers generally Pharmacovigilance training concentrate on the development of drugs and medical equipment before it can be considered ready to be released into general medicine practices. The approval of drugs for the common market place is a complex and lengthy process consisting of clinical trials. A drug or piece of equipment cannot progress to the next stage without passing these stringent trials. A clinical researcher is responsible for overseeing the development of the drug or equipment through the stages of these clinical trials. There are various levels of careers in clinical research starting with Clinical Trials Assistant all the way to Clinical Director.
Regulatory Affairs
The regulatory affairs sector has grown rapidly due to the need for governing bodies to ensure the safety and health of the general public. The regulatory affairs industry concentrates on monitoring and regulating scientific developments in all areas including; pharmaceuticals, veterinary and agriculture. There are a wide variety of positions in this particular field that handle all levels of regulation of various industries. Employees in this sector are required to apply knowledge of several fields when deciding whether to certify the efficacy of a product while assuring they also comply with all legal frameworks required.
Drug Safety
One of the industry’s most important sectors concentrates on drug safety also known as ‘pharmacovigilance’. This area of the industry relates to assessing and preventing side effects of a drug or medicine. The role entails researching; monitoring, assessment and evaluation of information to pin point the possibility of adverse effects before release onto the market. A career in this field will require the candidate to collect information from all parties involved in the clinical trials as to be able to provide a safe assessment and report the findings to regulatory bodies and licensing agencies.