Computer modeling of medicine interactions in infants
Application of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Characterize Drug-Drug Interactions in Infants
This project uses computer-based models plus real-world infant medical data to improve how doctors dose multiple drugs for babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11085085 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will build computer models that mimic infant bodies and how they process medicines, focusing on drugs such as midazolam, fentanyl, and phenobarbital. They will run simulations of drug-drug interactions and compare those predictions with medical records from infants who received those drug combinations during routine care. The team will update the models based on the real-world data and use them to propose safer, age-appropriate dosing when multiple drugs are given. Once proven, the same modeling approach can be applied to other medications used in infants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are infants and very young children who receive medications like midazolam, fentanyl, or phenobarbital together with other drugs as part of their clinical care.
Not a fit: Patients who are older children or adults, or infants not taking the specific drug combinations studied, are unlikely to directly benefit from these specific results.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to safer and more accurate medicine doses for infants who need more than one drug.
How similar studies have performed: Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling has been used successfully in adults and increasingly in children, but applying PBPK specifically to infant drug-drug interactions with real-world infant data is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gonzalez, Daniel — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Gonzalez, Daniel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.