New PhmTox Club Wants to Take a Deep Dive Into Real-World Questions

By Chuck Carlson

It started with grapefruit. And mushrooms. And, perhaps, green skin.

And it has led to a newly formed Pharmacology and Toxicology Club with myriad goals, including promoting community outreach, learning and experimentation, preparing for futures in higher education research, and discussing the always puzzling world of science.

For sophomore Joe Burke, talk of grapefruit and green skin were a revelation during Dr. Nathan Tykocki’s neuropharmacology class, where weekly discussions focus on current popular culture topics involving drugs and the brain.

“One of the first ones we discussed was why you can’t take grapefruit with some drugs,” Burke said.

That caught classmate Laura Furletti’s attention too.

“Yeah, the grapefruit thing was really interesting,” she said. “All of them were very interesting to me.”

Like mushrooms.

“One of the topics was how we can study mushrooms as a possible treatment for depression,” she said.

And there was the one about a drug that could turn the skin green. Or not.

Dr. Tykocki laughed at that one and related that it involves a drug called Desomorphine, a potent codeine derivative also known as Krokodil, which was rumored to either turn skin green or eat flesh.

Those pop culture topics, introduced every Friday in class by Marlene Masino, a doctoral candidate working in Dr. Tykocki’s lab, were enough to get students thinking and talking, which was exactly the point.

After one class, Burke asked Tykocki if there was a Pharmacology and Toxicology club where people could discuss these diverse subjects. “I said if there isn’t, you should start one,” Dr. Tykocki said.

And late in the spring semester, an intrigued group of undergraduates got together and did just that.

“All the students in the class fell in love with the concept of diving specifically into one little topic and elaborating on it,” Burke said. “It’s a deep dive into topics students are interested in. Wondering how does this work and why this is? It’s students submitting ideas on an article they saw and saying, ‘Let’s dive into this.’ We saw a need for community among undergraduates in PhmTox.”

The club, created by Burke, Furletti and fellow student Austin Alkazir, is just starting and had only a few meetings before the school year ended. But, it has already piqued the interest of some 30 undergraduates and has also drawn assistance from Ph.D. candidates, who have demonstrated their research to the group.

“It’s a lot of people coming together and it’s a huge opportunity for involvement,” said Burke, majoring in Data Science and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in PhmTox. “I was really surprised with the growth we’ve had. Just from word of mouth, we had 20 show up for our first meeting.”

That first meeting, for example, was an introduction to the club with discussions about the difference between a drug and a poison; what makes a substance therapeutic, toxic, or addictive; and daily life connections to pharmacology and toxicology, such as the use of caffeine, social media, and alcohol.

The second meeting was a celebration of Earth Day featuring PhmTox graduate students and their research, hands-on demonstrations of pharmacologically active plants such as poppies and almonds, and a special seminar about cannabis and cannabinoids pharmacology.

“I think it’s great,” said Dr. Tykocki, who, along with Dr. Kari Sant and the director of the Undergraduate Minor Program, Dr. Joey Nichols, has offered their services to the new club. “They’re learning how drugs work in the body. This is the next generation who are learning these things, and it’s great to see students engaged. This is what can drive innovation in the long run.”

There is already a substantial club leadership of 10 students, including Burke as president, Furletti as vice president, and Alkazir as secretary. Nathaniel Soule is the treasurer; Aarav Contractor is director of operations; Alexa Green is creative director; Jordyn Procissi is assistant creative director; Emma Andrechek is photographer, environmental sustainability; Rosario Alessandro handles student relations; and William Roberts handles alumni relations.

The emphasis now is on the future, growing the club, and focusing on real-world topics from pharmaceuticals to career goals that will ignite discussions. “We also really want to do community outreach,” said Alkazir, who will be a senior this fall and is majoring in human biology with a premed focus. “We’d like to create a community garden and do social events to draw members. It’s a club where we have discussions, but you can also make friends.”

For more information on the club, contact Joe Burke at burkej34@msu.edu or Involve@State.