Understanding how our bodies process medicines for better treatment
Regulation of xenobiotic receptors PXR and CAR, and CYP3A: implications in drug disposition
This research aims to understand how our bodies handle medicines, especially for conditions like cancer, to make treatments more effective and reduce side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11052563 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Many medicines don't work as well as they could, or they cause unwanted side effects, because of how our bodies process them. This project looks closely at specific proteins, called PXR, CAR, and CYP3A, which play a big role in how drugs are absorbed, broken down, and removed from our system. By learning more about how these proteins work and how they are controlled, we hope to find new ways to improve how medicines work in patients. This could lead to better treatments that are both more powerful and gentler on the body.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients who take medications for various conditions, especially cancer, and experience issues with drug effectiveness or side effects, could ultimately benefit from this foundational knowledge.
Not a fit: Patients whose conditions are not treated with medications affected by these specific drug-processing proteins may not directly benefit from this particular line of research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies for designing drugs or tailoring existing treatments to be more effective and safer for patients, particularly those with cancer.
How similar studies have performed: While the general area of drug metabolism is well-studied, this project aims to fill key gaps in understanding the detailed regulation of these specific proteins, suggesting a novel approach to complex interactions.
Where this research is happening
Memphis, United States
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital — Memphis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Taosheng — St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
- Study coordinator: Chen, Taosheng
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.