MAIN RESEARCH THEME
Pharmacokinetic research for facilitating drug development and supporting clinical practice:
- Food effect on transporter expression and activity
- Identification of factors affecting the pharmacokinetics
- Transporter-mediated regulation of uric acid
OUTLINE OF RESEARCH
Drug efficacy is deeply associated with its concentration at the site of action in the body, so it is essential to monitor time-dependent changes in this concentration. “Pharmacokinetics” is the study of the movement of drugs within the body, i.e. the mechanisms of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME). The object is to clarify the relationship between a dosage regimen and the plasma drug concentration-time profile.
Our laboratory has discovered various regulatory factors that are important to understand ADME of drugs, and we have published more than 300 original papers in drug discovery, drug development, and clinical practice. In particular, our research focuses on the membrane protein “transporter” involved in drug disposition. The role of P-glycoprotein at the blood-brain barrier, identification of novel organic anion transporter (OATP) molecules, and we were the first laboratory in the world to demonstrate their effect on drug-food interactions.
Transporters are involved in ADME of not only drugs but also nutrients and bioactive substances associated with life-support. We also found that the disposition of carnitine, which is essential for lipid metabolism, is regulated by the organic cation/carnitine transporter (OCTN) 2 transporter, and the results have been applied to the diagnosis and treatment of systemic carnitine deficiency. Furthermore, we have studied the role of transporters in the disposition of uric acid, and have contributed to the development of new therapeutic agents for hyperuricemia and gout.
We carry out innovative research in the optimization of oral dosage forms, the pharmacokinetic action of nanoparticles in foods, and new evaluation methods for transporter-mediated ADME and toxicity.
For more information, visit “dmpkatku.jp”.
