Drug Transporters
Pharmacokinetics describes how the body handles drugs. Each of the processes in pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) can be influenced by membrane proteins called transporters. Transporters can either help drugs get across biological barriers (such as the gut lining) or work to exclude them from a part of the body (such as the brain). Transporters are direct targets for many drugs, and most drugs are thought to interact with at least one transporter. Additionally, transporters can work together with drug metabolizing enzymes to eliminate drugs from the body. Research on drug transporters involves many disciplines of science and offers many possibilities for scientific investigations.
Placental Drug Transport
Health care practitioners have inadequate data regarding drug use in pregnant women. Additionally, the pharmaceutical industry is not required or motivated to perform more than minimal testing to determine if and how their drugs can be used safely in pregnancy. Furthermore, many women need medications during pregnancy, and despite a lack of information the use of medications and dietary supplements in pregnancy is increasing. Large clinical trials to determine the safety and efficacy of numerous medications or dietary supplements would be impractical. However, a better understanding of the mechanisms regulating fetal exposure would provide health care practitioners more scientific evidence upon which to base drug therapy decisions.
To address this clinical problem, Dr. Gerk is investigating human placental drug transport mechanisms. Specifically, Dr. Gerk's research is focused on ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters in the human placenta. These are proteins positioned at the maternal-fetal interface which may control the extent to which drugs cross the placenta. The expression and function of these transporters may be altered by certain diseases, concurrent medications, dietary components, as well as genetic or environmental factors. Dr. Gerk’s lab uses a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to investigate these issues, and includes aspects of clinical research, cell/tissue culture, biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, transporter biochemistry, and molecular biology. This lab interacts with the PK/PD research group as well as faculty in the departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Medicinal Chemistry.
Current projects in Dr. Gerk’s lab include investigations on the influence of pregnancy conditions such as preeclampsia and gestational diabetes on ABC transporter expression and function, as well as strategies to improve the transplacental delivery of antiretroviral medications. Research opportunities may exist depending on the availability of funding.