Pharmacogenomics

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.

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.