Philip Cox, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biology and Chemistry
Video Introduction
Phil Cox, PhD, joined Azusa Pacific University in 2017 following completion of his doctorate in pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research interests include drug metabolism and drug-metabolizing enzyme biochemistry. Drug metabolism is the process the body uses to alter the structure of ingested drugs in order to facilitate their excretion, helping rid the body of foreign chemical substances. This process is accomplished by many drug-metabolizing enzymes, including a large family of enzymes called the cytochromes P450.
During his doctoral work, Cox made strides toward elucidating the chemical moieties of the widely used anti-HIV drug efavirenz that render it a substrate for the human drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 2B6. At APU, his research continues to focus on characterizing the interaction of cytochrome P450 2B6 and clinically relevant substrates using biochemical, analytical, and molecular approaches.
Education
- PhD, Pharmacology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- BS, Biology-Chemistry, Southern Nazarene University
Academic Area
- School of Humanities and Sciences
Expertise
- Pharmacology
- Drug Metabolism
Courses Taught
- CHEM 123 – General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry for Health Sciences
- CHEM 151 – General Chemistry I
- CHEM 320 – Instrumental Analysis: Theory
- CHEM 330 – Instrumental Analysis: Lab
- BIOC 360 – Principles of Biochemistry
- BIOL 220 – General Microbiology