Pharmacogenetics (Genetic Predictors of Drug Response)

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.

The overarching goal of the Kroetz laboratory is to understand the molecular basis of interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity. Genomic association studies are used to identify genes and pathways involved in common toxicities associated with cancer therapy, including taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy and bevacizumab-induced hypertension. Functional genomic studies are then used to define the role of these genes and pathways in the dose-limiting toxicities. A second area of research is on the role of ABC transporters in drug resistance and physiologic function. Ongoing efforts include cryo-EM studies of MRP4 and investigation of MRP4 in resistance to immunotherapy.