Pharmacodynamics

My current research focuses on determining how targeted and cytotoxic chemotherapy impact the brain and how drug transporters contribute to these effects. Consistent with this research, I am interested in the translational pharmacology of anticancer therapeutics, especially the characterization of preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small nonprotein-coding RNAs that have emerged as important regulators in cardiac developmental and pathological processes. They are genomically encoded and are initially transcribed as part of much longer molecules that become processed into a mature ~22-nucleotide-long form. miRNAs are generally regarded as negative regulators of gene expression that inhibit translation and/or promote messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation by base-pairing to complementary sequences within protein-coding mRNA transcripts. Hundreds of human miRNA genes have been identified and bioinformatic analyses indicate that miRNAs might regulate the expression of more than a third of human protein-coding genes, highlighting the potential magnitude of their influence on gene expression. Given the increasingly important roles of miRNAs in heart development and function, the lab hypothesizes that aberrant regulation of miRNAs may play a role in mediating cardiovascular disease. Therefore, one major focus of Elton’s laboratory investigates miRNA expression and gene regulation in various cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Guo works on both basic research and its subsequent practical applications, focusing on understanding the mechanisms and assembly of viral DNA packaging motor, and using components of the biomotor for various applications. By applying interdisciplinary approaches including chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, nanotechnology, bioengineering, molecular biology, cell biology, computer modeling, and pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Guo studies RNA, DNA and proteins and their interaction.

Dr. Guo’s current project areas are:

RNA nanotechnology and its application for the delivery of siRNA/miRNA/drug for the treatment of cancers, viral infection, and genetic diseases
Nanobiotechnology, including structure, function and mechanism of Phi29 DNA-packaging nanomotor
Single molecule imaging and optical instrumentation to study the interaction of RNA, DNA, and protein
Single pore technology for DNA sequencing, macromolecule detection, and disease diagnosis, using channels of variety of viral DNA packaging motors

Our research team members are engaged in pre-clinical target identification for pharmacologic treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. We use in vivo and in vitro high-resolution fluorescence microscopy and high-content analysis of live neurons to reveal complex interactions between signaling pathways that regulate cell survival/function and circadian clock signaling. This work is designed to identify new avenues of chronotherapeutic target development for CNS disorders. Current work focuses on two related themes: (1) Alzheimer’s Disease and desynchronization of cortico-limbic circadian rhythms and (2) MAPK signaling: gates, oscillators and circadian timing.

Dr. Johnson’s research is focused on understanding genetic and other sources of variability in drug response, building evidence to support translation of research to clinical practice, implementing genomic medicine in practice and documenting clinical outcomes associated with use of genomic medicine in practice. Her discovery research focuses primarily on cardiovascular drugs used in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure and used to prevent blood clots. Her pharmacogenetics implementation work is across a range of therapeutic areas and explores clinical trial approaches for documenting its impact on clinical outcomes. She’s also deeply committed to training the next generation of clinical and translational scientists.

Dr. Newman is a pharmacologist with expertise in the neurobiology of substance use disorder (SUD) and Pharmacogenomics. In addition to developing courses and teaching in her areas of specialty in both the College’s Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) and the Doctor of Pharmacy programs, Dr. Newman leads the College of Pharmacy’s undergraduate programming, including the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) program, the Pharmaceutical Science minor, and various General Education courses. In this role, she is actively involved with curricular development and implementation, program creation, and enhancement of the university student experience. Dr. Newman has focused her career on teaching and learning and is passionate about creatively enhancing the student experience to facilitate more student engagement and deeper, life-long learning. Dr. Newman has served as a Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) mentor since 2018. Dr. Newman’s scholarly research efforts focus on evaluating how SUD is taught at the undergraduate and professional levels and on how understanding the neurobiology of SUD affects treatment and respect for individuals with SUD.

Dr. Wei's area of research expertise is in geriatric pharmacoepidemiology, with specific focus areas on drug safety, drug effectiveness, and quality of medication prescribing in older adults, especially those with pain, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia [ADRD]), and nursing home stays.