How changes in liver transport affect medicines
Mechanisms of Altered Hepatic Transport: Impact on Drug Therapy
This project looks at how changes in liver transport proteins alter how medicines behave so treatments can be made safer and more effective for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308307 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers use lab-grown human liver cells, 3‑D cell models, and other laboratory experiments to see how transporter proteins move medicines and bile acids into and out of liver cells. They build and run computer (in silico) models to mimic drug handling by the liver and to predict how changes in transporter function change drug levels. The team tests how other drugs, disease-related factors, and regulatory mechanisms change transporter activity and biliary excretion. Findings are used to create prediction tools aimed at forecasting drug levels and interactions in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with liver conditions, patients taking multiple medications processed by the liver, or individuals willing to donate blood or liver tissue for research would be the most relevant contributors.
Not a fit: Patients whose health issues are unrelated to liver drug handling or who cannot provide samples or access research sites are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help personalize dosing, reduce side effects, and prevent harmful drug interactions by improving prediction of how the liver handles medicines.
How similar studies have performed: Previous laboratory and computer-modeling work has improved prediction of some drug interactions and transporter effects, but several transporters and regulatory mechanisms studied here remain less tested.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brouwer, Kim L.r. — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Brouwer, Kim L.r.
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.