该部门采用了几种发现和开发新治疗剂的方法。天然产物药物发现试图从包括植物和动物在内的天然来源中分离和表征具有治疗潜力的化合物的作用。Barrows实验室与巴布亚新几内亚大学一起参与了一项国际努力，以鉴定用作抗癌，抗结核和抗HIV药物的药物。抗惊厥药物开发计划（此处链接）使用多种实验技术来评估世界范围内提供的实验化合物在治疗癫痫方面的潜在功效。基因组学小组（链接到基因组学）采用基因阵列技术来发现在各种癌症中激活的患者特异性途径，从而可以确定治疗靶点和新颖的治疗策略。
Several approaches to discovery and development of new therapeutic agents are pursued in the Department. Natural products drug discovery seeks to isolate and characterize the actions of compounds with therapeutic potential from natural sources, including plants and animals. The Barrows laboratory participates in an international effort with the University of Papua New Guinea to identify drugs for use as anti-cancer, antitubercular and anti-HIV agents. The Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program (link here) uses a variety of experimental techniques to evaluate experimental compounds provided from the world over for potential efficacy in the treatment of epilepsy. The Genomics group (link to genomics) employs gene array techniques to discover patient-specific pathways activated in various cancers, which can identify therapeutic targets and novel treatment strategies.