UWSOP Pharmaceutics professor Ken Thummel was recently named recipient of the 2022 Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism and Disposition from the ASPET Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition. This award recognizes outstanding original research contributions in drug metabolism and disposition, particularly those having a major impact on future research in the field.
Ken received the award in recognition of his pioneering research elucidating genetic, hormonal and environmental factors that contribute to interindividual differences in xenobiotic biotransformation. He pioneered research on first-pass metabolism in the intestine and co-discovered vitamin D-dependent regulation of CYP3A4. He also established midazolam as the preferred in vivo probe for CYP3A4 and played a pivotal role in elucidating the genetic basis for CYP3A5 poor metabolizers. In addition to this research, Ken’s work focuses on the gene x diet modifiers of drug response in Alaska Native and American Indian people. With colleagues at the University of Washington and other northwest and Alaska institutions, he established the first center of pharmacogenetic research for Native Americans.
Ken is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow of ASPET. He is also a Past-President of ASPET and a member since 1998.
The award will be presented by the Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition at the ASPET Annual Meeting in Philadelphia on Monday, April 4, 2022. Ken will deliver a lecture at the event titled Elucidating the Function of Intestinal CYP3A: A Journey of Discovery and Clinical Importance.