Pharmaceutics Faculty Archives - School of Pharmacy

Swayam Prabha

Courses Taught:

PCEUT505
PHARMSCI313
PCEUT583

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, University of Nebraska Medical Center
MBA in Healthcare Management, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
MS in Pharmaceutics, Banaras Hindu University, India

Research Interests:

Translational research
Ovarian cancer
Targeted drug delivery
Cell based therapies
Nanoengineered stem cells therapeutics

Biography

After completing doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Prabha joined the pharmaceutical industry and was involved in the development of clinical formulations,. Her current efforts are focused on developing novel drug/gene delivery approaches to fulfill unmet therapeutic needs. Her tenure in the pharmaceutical industry and involvement in the development of clinical formulations, several of which have been successfully approved by the FDA, have enabled a deeper understanding of what it takes to translate ideas and concepts from laboratory into a clinical drug product. She is involved in designing effective cell-based therapies with fewer side effects for lung and ovarian cancers, both diseases with poor survival rates and in urgent need of novel therapeutic approaches. The overall goal of the lab is to improve mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) tumor homing and to fully understand the impact of anticancer drug loading on MSC biology. Current studies show that MSCs nanoengineered to load paclitaxel actively migrate to lung tumors (Patent: 11684638; Targeted delivery system, system components, and methods), where they are retained for several days, and facilitate targeted delivery of the payload and inhibition of tumor growth. She has mentored 9 graduate students (seven PhD and two MS), 12 postdoctoral fellows, 2 research associates, 4 undergraduate students, several high school students and have served on the advisory committees for other graduate students. She currently mentor two postdoctoral fellows and is on the advisory committee of a PhD student. All her previous trainees have continued successful biomedical science careers in academia and industry. She has been a principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous research awards, including federal (e.g., NIH, NCI/SAIC, DOD), national (American Cancer Society, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance), industrial (Supernus, BRTI) and intramural funding sources.

Selected Publications

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Prabha+S

Jayanth Panyam

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Master of Pharmacy (Pharmaceutics), Banaras Hindu University
Bachelor of Pharmacy, Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University

Research Interests

Targeting the premetastatic niche
Novel TLR7/8 agonists as anticancer vaccine adjuvants
Antibody-drug conjugates

Biography

Drug delivery systems that are in the ~100 nm size range have been of considerable interest in the field of anti-cancer drug delivery. However, the therapeutic benefit of such systems (for example, liposomal doxorubicin – Doxil® and albumin-bound paclitaxel – Abraxane®) have been realized in only a subset of tumor types, and even in these tumors, the survival benefits have been modest. A detailed understanding of the biological fate of delivery systems and, more importantly, in the microenvironment of the target tissue is necessary to further improve treatment efficacy. For several years, our research was focused on investigating the mechanisms of anticancer drug delivery, with emphasis on understanding how various biological factors influence the effectiveness of various delivery approaches. The ultimate goal is to use the knowledge derived from these studies to devise advanced delivery platforms that can be effectively translated to the clinic. More recently, our focus has broadened to include antibody-drug conjugates as a platform technology for targeting cancer cells. Similarly, we now emphasize eliciting body’s own immunological defenses to fighting cancer. Finally, we have begun to understand how primary tumors start programming vascular organs such as lungs and liver to facilitate metastasis. We are now developing strategies to interfere with this premetastatic niche formation. Specific ongoing projects include:

Targeting the premetastatic niche (PMN)

Metastatic disease continues to be the major cause of mortality in patients with most solid tumors. Significant advances have been made in understanding the changes in tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment that eventually result in secondary lesions. Accordingly, much of the current drug discovery efforts are focused on targets in tumor cells or the primary tumor microenvironment. However, fewer attempts have been made to target the changes that occur in secondary organs before and during metastatic colonization. Recent studies show that primary tumors actively program organs such as the lungs and liver to create the PMN. Our group has been working to understand how changes that occur in the PMN can be targeted to prevent metastatic growth. In patients with metastatic tumors, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are significantly increased in circulation. Similarly, in mouse models, MDSCs increase in circulation and actively home to premetastatic sites. MDSCs promote metastasis by activating dormant tumor cells via pro-inflammatory S100A8/A9 proteins. The goal of this research is to investigate various small molecule inhibitors and novel biologics to interfere with trafficking of MDSCs to the premetastatic niche and signaling via the S100A8/A9 proteins.

Novel TLR7/8 agonists as anticancer vaccine adjuvants

Agonists of toll like receptors (TLRs) are promising anticancer vaccine adjuvants because of their ability to induce proinflammatory cytokines necessary to generate a robust immune response. However, currently available TLR agonists suffer from several limitations including self-regulatory immunosuppression and unfavorable local pharmacokinetics resulting in poor availability within dendritic cells. Further, current TLR agonist-based anticancer vaccines generate a robust cytotoxic CD8 T cell response but not CD4 Th1 helper T cell response, which is critical for inducing effective, long-term antitumor immunity. We are addressing these important challenges through a synergistic combination of drug discovery and drug delivery efforts. Our team has developed a suite of highly substituted imidazoquinolines, which activate TLR7 and/or 8 and induce significantly higher levels of cytokines compared to imiquimod, an FDA approved TLR7 agonist. Our studies show the balance between pro-inflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokines can be tuned through structural modifications. Encapsulation of these novel agonists in acidic pH responsive nanoparticles (NPs) resulted in robust activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells as well as natural killer (NK) cells, leading to a stronger anticancer immune response than free agonist or that encapsulated in non-pH responsive NPs. Importantly, intradermal delivery of NP vaccine using a hollow microneedle platform led to an enhanced Th1 immune response, which is essential for effective induction of long-term antitumor immunity. Our current studies are focused on further optimizing the new agonists for efficient encapsulation in pH responsive NPs, tune the NP properties for improved targeting of dendritic cells following delivery via hollow microneedles, and investigate potentiation of NK cell-mediated antibody-mediated cellular cytotoxicity.

Antibody-drug conjugates targeting HSPG2 (perlecan)

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common cancer of the urinary tract. Patients with muscle-invasive disease have a 5-year survival rate less than 50%. Treatment methods for advanced BC have not changed for more than 20 years. Our long-term goal is to develop effective therapeutic strategies against metastatic BC. We have recently identified the overexpression of a cell surface protein called perlecan (HSPG2) on BC cells. Gene expression analysis shows that patients with high HSPG2 expression have a significantly lower survival rate compared to those with low HPSG2 expression, pointing to clinical significance of this novel biomarker. In addition, we have developed a monoclonal antibody (AM6) targeting HSPG2. Conjugation of the cytotoxic drug MMAE to AM6 enables effective targeting of BC cells and results in potent tumor cell kill. The objective of this research is to further develop and evaluate the efficacy of AM6-based antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in cell culture and mouse models of BC. Our studies are also focused on understanding the structural features of AM6 that could impact its therapeutic efficacy. Further, since HSPG2 is overexpressed in many different solid tumors including breast and ovarian cancer as well as in melanoma, we expect that HSPG2-targeted ADC could be of significant therapeutic benefit.

Selected Publications

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=panyam%2C+Jayanth&size=20

Shijie Cao

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

PhD in Bioengineering, University of Washington
Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Fudan University

Research Interests

The Cao Lab at the University of Washington is a dynamic and interdisciplinary research group that focuses on two exciting and innovative research directions: mucosal immunoengineering and microbiome pharmaceutics. We aim to develop innovative and translatable tools that can prevent and treat a host of immunological disorders, including allergies, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, as well as infectious diseases. Currently, our lab is deeply engaged in developing therapeutics that modulate the immune system by specifically targeting the microbiome and its associated metabolites. By leveraging advanced drug delivery tools and microbiome modulation strategies, we aspire to unravel the complex interplay between the microbiome and various organ systems. This will not only expand our scientific understanding but also harness the potential of the microbiome to forge new pathways in improving human health.

Biography

Dr. Cao received his bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Fudan University (Shanghai, China) in 2013, and completed his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Washington in 2018. Following his doctoral studies, he pursued postdoctoral training in Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago from 2019-2023. In June 2023, Dr. Cao joined the Department of Pharmaceutics as an Assistant Professor.

Selected Publications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/shijie.cao.2/bibliography/public/

Samuel Arnold

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, University of Colorado
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics, University of Washington

Research Interests

Infectious Diseases, Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling for treatment of enteric infections
Enteric disease induced changes in drug disposition
Improved preclinical models of drug disposition in the GI

Courses Taught

PCEUT531
PCEUT532
PCEUT506

Biography

Dr. Samuel Arnold joined the Department of Pharmaceutics at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor in 2023, and his research predominantly focuses on characterizing exposure-response relationships for therapeutic treatment of infectious diarrhea. While there has been a substantial reduction in diarrhea associated mortality over the past decade, diarrheal diseases continue to be a major global health concern (second leading cause of death in children < 5 years old). The remarkable reduction in disease burden can be attributed to many factors, and this includes vaccine rollout for rotavirus. However, with a reduction in rotavirus infections, there has been a concurrent increase in the proportion of diarrheal diseases attributed to other etiological agents of disease (e.g., Cryptosporidium and Shigella). Dr. Arnold’s work includes the development of in vitro and in vivo models for cryptosporidiosis and shigellosis. As a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Cryptosporidium Drug Accelerator (CryptoDA), Dr. Arnold led a successful effort to identify pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) relationships for anti-cryptosporidiosis drugs. Due to the gastrointestinal localization of the pathogen, this work required a non-traditional experimental approach to identify exposure-response relationships. In addition, Dr. Arnold provided clinical pharmacology support for an anti-cryptosporidiosis clinical trial in Malawi (Clinicaltrials.gov #NCT03341767) that investigated clofazimine as a potential anti-cryptosporidiosis treatment. Subsequent analysis of the data from this trial has demonstrated that a participant’s diarrheal status is associated with therapeutic exposure. Based on these results, the Arnold lab is working on the development of pharmacokinetic models that can predict the impact of diarrhea on drug exposure prior to human dosing.

Selected Publications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/samuel.arnold.1/bibliography/public/

Joanne Wang

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
MS in Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago
BS in Biochemistry, Peking University

Courses Taught

PCEUT503
PCEUT531
PCEUT201
MEDCH501

Research Interests

Transporters (PMAT, OCTs, MATEs, OATs, OATPs, P-gp, Bcrp)
Drug transport and disposition mechanisms
Transporter-mediated drug targeting, tissue toxicity, and drug-drug interactions

Biography

Dr. Wang is Professor of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle. She obtained her PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California at San Francisco (1998) and completed her postdoctoral training in the Depts. of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry at UCSF (1998-2000).

Dr. Wang’s research is focused on solute carrier (SLC) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters that shuttle drugs, nutrients, neurotransmitters, and hormones across cell membranes. Her research interests include elucidating the mechanisms and clinical impact of transporters in nutrient and drug disposition and their potential as drug targets. Ongoing projects include:

Identification and functional characterization of transporters in human placenta

Transporters at the placental barrier act as gatekeepers, regulating the influx and efflux of nutrients, drugs, and metabolites to and from the developing fetus. Despite significant progress, the expression, function, and regulation of most transporters in the human placenta remain poorly understood. This project, conducted under the University of Washington Transporter Elucidation Center (UWTEC), seeks to advance our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the uptake and disposition of drugs, nutrients, and dietary substances during early human development. Funded by a UC2 grant from NICHD, the study aims to identify and functionally characterize solute carrier (SLC) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in the human placenta using a multidisciplinary approach, providing critical insights into nutrient uptake and xenobiotic exposure during fetal development.

Mechanisms and PBPK modeling of drug secretion into breastmilk

Transporters in the lactating mammary gland play a critical role in pharmacology and toxicology by mediating the active transfer of drugs and nutrients into breastmilk. Medications taken by lactating individuals can be transported into breastmilk in significant amounts, potentially leading to unintended infant drug exposure and adverse effects. Currently, no methodologies exist to accurately predict drug secretion into breastmilk via carrier-mediated transport mechanisms. This project aims to address this gap by employing a systems pharmacology approach, integrating in vitro models, in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE), and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling to predict transporter-mediated drug secretion by human mammary epithelial cells.

Transporters in the disposition and tissue targeting of meta-iodobenzylguanidine

Radioiodine-labeled meta-iodobenzylguanidine (mIBG) has broad clinical applications, serving as both a diagnostic agent and a targeted radiotherapy for neuroendocrine cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Our previous research revealed that, in addition to the norepinephrine transporter (NET), mIBG is a high-affinity substrate for several polyspecific organic cation transporters, including the plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT), organic cation transporters (OCT1-3), and multidrug and toxin extrusion transporters (MATEs). These transporters are likely critical in determining mIBG’s disposition and therapeutic response. This project seeks to elucidate the specific roles of these transporters in mIBG uptake across normal and tumor tissues, aiming to develop mechanism-based strategies to optimize mIBG’s therapeutic efficacy while reducing toxicity.

Selected Publications

PubMed

Jashvant Unadkat

Education

PhD, University of Manchester
B. Pharm, University of London

Research Interests

Mechanisms of drug transport and metabolism
Maternal-fetal pharmacology

Courses Taught

PCEUT 501
PCEUT 506
PCEUT 532

Biography

Jashvant (Jash) Unadkat, Ph.D. is a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle. He received his Bachelor degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm.) from the University of London (1977), his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester (1982) and his postdoctoral training at the University of California at San Francisco (1982-85).

Dr. Unadkat studies the mechanisms of transport and metabolism of drugs, including during pregnancy. Dr. Unadkat has published more than 270 peer-reviewed research papers. He is a fellow of AAAS, AAPS, JSSX, and the founding co-chair (1999-2001) of the focus group of AAPS on Drug Transport and Uptake. Dr. Unadkat received the AAPS Research Achievement Award in 2012, the ISSX Research Achievement Award in 2023 . Dr. Unadkat created and led for 10 years the UW Research Affiliates Program on Transporters (UWRAPT), funded by pharmaceutical companies, and UWPKDAP, a NIDA funded Program Project grant (P01) on drug disposition during pregnancy. He now co-leads the UW Transporter Elucidation Center (https://depts.washington.edu/uwtec/) funded by NICHD to identify and characterize novel transporters in the placenta and the developing intestine. In 2025, Dr. Unadkat was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences and as a President-elect of the International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX).

Selected Publications

(PubMed.gov)

Yvonne Lin

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

BA in Biophysics, University of California at Berkeley
PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Washington

Research Interests:

Pharmacokinetics/pharmacogenomics
Natural products research
Regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes in children and pregnant women

Courses Taught

PHARBE 506
PHARBE 510
PCEUT 507
PCEUT 537

Biography

Dr. Lin is an Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics. She received her BA in Biophysics from the University of California at Berkeley and her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Washington, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Her research interests include: natural product-drug interactions, regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes in children and in pregnancy, and using metabolomics to discover endogenous biomarkers of drug metabolism and transport.

Selected Publications

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/yvonne.lin.1/bibliography/public/

Edward Kelly

Courses Taught:

PCEUT201
PCEUT502
PCEUT580
PCEUT586
PHG513

Education History:

BS, Biochemistry, UC-Riverside

MS, Biochemistry, UC-Riverside

PhD, Biochemistry, University of Washington

Biography:

Dr. Kelly holds the rank of Professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Pharmaceutics (School of Pharmacy) and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (School of Public Health). He is also an Investigator in the Kidney Research Institute at the UW School of Medicine and serves as Co-Director of the Pharmaceutical Bioengineering Extension Program.

The focus of the Kelly lab is ex vivo modeling of human organ function and drug/toxin-induced injury. This research utilizes 3D-microfluidic “organs on chips” or microphysiological systems (MPS) as an alternative to animal testing. Our scope of work includes using MPS technologies to model how the kidney responds to microgravity on the International Space Station, how environmental toxins may modulate chronic kidney disease of unknown origin (CKDu) and the effects of glomerular disease on proximal tubule function. He is also part of a consortium to qualify a kidney MPS for defined contexts of use.

Selected Publications:

Arian CM, O’Mahony ET, Manwill PK, Graf TN, Oberlies NH, Cech NB, Clarke JD, Smith JG, Paine MF, Kelly EJ & Thummel KE. A gut response: Application of human enteroid monolayers to probe the mechanism of the goldenseal-mediated inhibition of metformin intestinal absorption. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpet.2025.103597 2025. PMID: 40403579
Tsang YP, Aryeh KS, Wang K, Himmelfarb J, Yeung CK & Kelly EJ*. Enhancing therapeutic strategies and drug development for patients with kidney disease. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety https://doi.org/10.1080/14740338.2025.2525970 2025. PMID: 40568828
Hansen BC, Arian CM, Zeng Y, Takezawa MG, Theberge AB, Faustman EM, Thummel KE & Kelly EJ*. Leveraging RNA-seq deconvolution to improve complex in vitro model characterization. Journal of Biological Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110510 2025. PMID: 40701251
O’Mahony ET, Arian CM, Aryeh KS, Wang K, Thummel KE & Kelly EJ*. Human intestinal enteroids: nonclinical applications for predicting oral drug disposition, toxicity and efficacy. Pharmacology and Therapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pharmthera.2025.108879 2025. PMID: 40398537
Hansen BC, Aryeh KS, Lindell LX, Lau GK, Nicholson TM, Faustman EM & Kelly EJ*. In vitro models of the male reproductive system: applications for developmental and reproductive toxicology. Toxicological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfaf132 2025. PMID: 41002216
Mahadeo A, Tsang YP, Zheng AR, Arnzen S, Rodriguez AG, Warren MS, G?borik Z & Kelly EJ*. Human OAT1, OAT3, OAT4 and OATP1A2 Facilitate the Renal Accumulation of Ochratoxin A. Pharmaceutics. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17111474 2025. PMID: 41304811
Mahadeo A, Bammler TK, MacDonald J, Zheng AR, Yeung CK, Himmelfarb J & Kelly EJ*. Pervasive food contaminant ochratoxin-A induces energy crisis: Mitochondrial dysfunction in human primary proximal tubule cells. Toxicology Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.102169 2025. PMID: 41341619
Jones-Isaac K, Yeung CK, Bain J, Lidberg K, Yang J, Wang L, MacDonald J, Bammler T, Thummel KE, Corn M, Ruiz MV, Countryman S, Koenig P, Mann HH, Himmelfarb J & Kelly EJ*. Effect of calcium oxalate microcrystals on kidney proximal tubule epithelial cell gene expression in microgravity. npj Microgravity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41526-025-00543-3 2025. PMID: 41381544
Wang K, Tsang YP, Thummel KE, Kelly EJ, Mao Q & Unadkat JD. Effect of proinflammatory cytokines on intestinal drug transporters in human enteroid monolayers. Drug Metabolism and Disposition. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dmd.2025.100208 2025. PMID: 41418738

Nina Isoherranen

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Education

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Helsinki

Research Interests

Metabolism, disposition and biological effects of Vitamin A and Retinoic acid
Drug disposition and drug safety during pregnancy
Pharmacokinetic modeling and molecular mechanisms of drug-drug interactions

Courses Taught

PCEUT532
PCEUT506
PCEUT502

Biography

Dr. Isoherranen received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and her master’s degree in Analytical Chemistry in 1998 from the University of Helsinki, Finland. She obtained a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2003 and continued her training as a post-doctoral fellow with Ken Thummel at the University of Washington. She joined the Department of Pharmaceutics as an Acting Assistant Professor on November 2004.

Dr Isoherranen’s main research interests relate to vitamin A disposition, pharmacokinetic modeling and drug-drug interactions. Her research program includes studies of the role of CYP26 and ALDH1A enzymes in Vitamin A homeostasis, alterations in vitamin A metabolome in obesity and related comorbidities and characterization of how drug and vitamin metabolism change during pregnancy. She has also active research ongoing in the area of pharmacokinetic modeling and PBPK model development relating to predictions of complex drug-drug and disease-drug interactions, and in prediction of clearance changes in different physiological states.

Selected Publications

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/term=Isoherranen+N&sort=date&size=20

Melissa Barker-Haliski

Education:

BA – University of Oregon
Ph.D. – University of Utah

Research Interests:

Epilepsy
Alzheimer’s disease
drug development
preclinical research
translational research
neuroscience
pharmacology

Courses Taught:

PCEUT 451/551 – Introduction to Drug Discovery
PCEUT 534 – Principles of Precision Medicine
PCEUT 540 – Communication for Pharmaceutical Sciences

Biography:

Dr. Melissa Barker-Haliski’s research emphasizes developing novel strategies and preclinical approaches to uncover precision medicine therapies for unmet medical needs for people with epilepsy and for seizures related to neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease. Using behavioral models and molecular neuroscience, the lab is particularly interested in therapeutic discovery and neuropharmacological interactions to modify disease trajectory. She served as co-chair of the American Epilepsy Society/International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Pharmacology Common Data Elements Working Group (2014–2018) and the Phenotyping Common Data Elements Working Group (2019–2022), helping to standardize preclinical pharmacology research across industry, government, and academia. She is current co-chair of the ILAE Precision Therapy for Epilepsy Task Force. Dr. Barker-Haliski actively engages with industry and government leaders to drive next-generation therapeutic discovery for neurological disease.

Publications:

Smith VL, Gidi BZ, Bragg RM, Cantle JP, Ben-Varon A, Noble B, Prades S, Compton A, Greenfield J, Korecka JA, Gemos A, Yu T, Khurana V, Kordasiewicz HB, Zhao HT, Barker-Haliski M, Child DD, Carroll JB. Atrophin-1 antisense oligonucleotide provides robust protection from pathology in a fully humanized DRPLA model. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2025 Dec 31;37(1):102815. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2025.102815. PMID: 41624332; PMCID: PMC12857545.

Robinson-Cooper L, Davidson S, Koutoubi R, Zhang K, Park H, Barker-Haliski M. Loss of presenilin 2 function age-dependently increases susceptibility to kainate-induced acute seizures and blunts hippocampal kainate-type glutamate receptor expression. Exp Neurol. 2026 Mar;397:115586. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2025.115586. Epub 2025 Dec 9. PMID: 41380794; PMCID: PMC12799287.

Knox KM, Davidson S, Lehmann LM, Skinner E, Lo A, Jayadev S, Barker-Haliski M. Alzheimer’s disease-associated genotypes differentially influence chronic evoked seizure outcomes and antiseizure medicine efficacy in aged mice. J Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Jul;106(2):547-561. doi: 10.1177/13872877251343321. Epub 2025 Jul 1. PMID: 40458037; PMCID: PMC12282399.

Erickson I, Davidson S, Choi H, Rho S, Guignet M, Peagler K, Thummel K, Ericsson A, Barker-Haliski M. Intestinal dysbiosis alters acute seizure burden and antiseizure medicine activity in Theiler’s virus model of encephalitis. Epilepsia. 2025 Aug;66(8):3022-3034. doi: 10.1111/epi.18395. Epub 2025 Mar 28. PMID: 40153196.

Del Pozo A, Knox KM, Lehmann LM, Davidson S, Rho SL, Jayadev S, Barker-Haliski M. Chronic evoked seizures in young pre-symptomatic APP/PS1 mice induce serotonin changes and accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s disease-related neuropathology. Prog Neurobiol. 2024 Apr;235:102591. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2024.102591. Epub 2024 Mar 13. PMID: 38484965; PMCID: PMC11015961.

Rodney JY Ho

Accepting Students to Lab: Yes

Websites

TLC-ART Program

WE-REACH Center

Education

PhD, University of Tennessee
Bachelor of Science, University of California
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford University Internal Medicine

Research Interests

Dr. Ho is known for bio-nanotechnology bio-pharmaceutical research and education that enable transformation of basic biomedical discovery into therapeutics. In addition to innovations in targeted and drug combination synchronous delivery, his research focuses on biology and comprehensive approach to treatments of cancer and infectious diseases of pandemic potential. Some topics include (1) Systems approach to drug combination delivery, transport to target tissues and cells related to disease state intended to improve efficacy and safety; (2) Targeted and Long-acting Combination Anti-Retroviral Therapies and organized TLC-ART program intended for maximizing therapeutic impacts on adults and children (3) Drug and lipid or biomaterial interaction studies that enable the engineering and development of long acting and targeted systems that enhance drug potency and safety.

Biography

Dr. Ho is a professor and presidential entrepreneurial fellow of the University of Washington, and holds appointments at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Professor Ho is the founding Executive Director of the Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH, a NIH designated National Hub). He has served in a number of leadership roles including Assoc Dean for Research and New Initiatives. His current TLC-ART program, built on a collaborative basic and translational research team composed of scientists, physicians, students and post-doc, focuses on developing targeted, drug-combination and long-acting therapeutics for HIV/AIDS and cancer. Ho is a distinguished leader in pharmaceutical sciences and systems pharmacology with a proven track record of innovation in long-acting and targeted drug combination therapies for AIDS and Cancer. He serves on a number of national and international initiatives relating to Cancer and HIV therapeutics including LEAP leadership team to facilitate development of long-acting therapies for NIH and WHO’s Unitaid. He is an expert on pharmacology and systems approaches to drug targeting and long-acting therapy. His research aims to improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety of viral and cancer drugs, medical diagnostic agents and vaccines. He is an elected member of National Academy of Innovators, elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS). He studies the relationships between drug target distribution and disease development in cancer, AIDS, and neurological disorders. Building on this understanding, he has developed a systems approach to drug delivery and targeting. He is known for his expertise in bio-therapeutics, lipid-drug and -protein interactions, liposomes, drug-combination nanoparticles, pharmacokinetics, and the interplay between tissue targets and drug penetration. His research has led to enhanced HIV, cancer, and pain medication potency and safety. In addition, he has served as an editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the author of “Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming Proteins and Genes into Drugs.” He has also received top honors including the Paul Dawson Biotechnology life-time achievement award, Volwiler life-time research achievement award and the AAPS Biotechnology Research achievement, one of the AAPS’s highest recognitions.

Selected Publications

PubMed link

Ho RJY. “Warp-Speed Covid-19 Vaccine Development: Beneficiaries of Maturation in Biopharmaceutical Technologies and Public-Private Partnerships. J Pharm Sci. 2021, 110(2):615-618. PMID: 33212162

Bak A, Ho RJY. “Advancing Cell and Gene Therapeutic Products for Health Impact – Progress on Pharmaceutical Research, Development, Manufacturing and Controls.” J Pharm Sci. 2021, 110(5):1869-1870. PMID: 33189694.

Perazzolo S, Zhu L, Lin W, Nguyen A, Ho RJY. “Systems and Clinical Pharmacology of COVID-19 Therapeutic Candidates: A Clinical and Translational Medicine Perspective.” J Pharm Sci. 2021, 110:1002-1017. PMID: 33248057

Ho RJY, Gibaldi M. “Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming proteins and genes into drugs,” John Wiley and Sons, N.Y., 2nd edition 2013.

Gao Y, Kraft JC, Yu D, Ho RJY. “Recent developments of nanotherapeutics for targeted and long-acting, combination HIV chemotherapy.” Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2019 May;138:75-91. PMID: 29678735.

Mu Q, Yu J, McConnachie LA, Kraft JC, Gao Y, Gulati GK, Ho RJY. “Translation of combination nanodrugs into nanomedicines: lessons learned and future outlook.” J Drug Target. 2018 Jun-Jul;26(5-6):435-447. PMID: 29285948.

Perazzolo S, Shen DD, Ho RJY. Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling of 3 HIV Drugs in Combination and the Role of Lymphatic System after Subcutaneous Dosing. Part 2: Model for the Drug-combination Nanoparticles.

J Pharm Sci. 2022, 111(3):825-837. PMID: 34673094

Bak A, Friis KP, Wu Y, Ho RJY. “Translating Cell and Gene Biopharmaceutical Products for Health and Market Impact. Product Scaling From Clinical to Marketplace: Lessons Learned and Future Outlook.” J Pharm Sci. 2019 Oct;108(10):3169-3175. PMID: 31150697.

Kraft JC, McConnachie LA, Koehn J, Kinman L, Sun J, Collier AC, Collins C, Shen DD, Ho RJY. “Mechanism-based pharmacokinetic (MBPK) models describe the complex plasma kinetics of three antiretrovirals delivered by a long-acting anti-HIV drug combination nanoparticle formulation.” J Control Release. 2018 Apr 10;275:229-241. PMID: 29432823.

Kraft JC, McConnachie LA, Koehn J, Kinman L, Collins C, Shen DD, Collier AC, Ho RJY. “Long-acting combination anti-HIV drug suspension enhances and sustains higher drug levels in lymph node cells than in blood cells and plasma.” AIDS. 2017 Mar 27;31(6):765-770. PMID: 28099191.

Mu Q, Yu J, Griffin JI, Wu Y, Zhu L, McConnachie LA, Ho RJY. “Novel drug combination nanoparticles exhibit enhanced plasma exposure and dose-responsive effects on eliminating breast cancer lung metastasis.” PLoS One. 2020 Mar 6;15(3):e0228557. PMID: 32142553

Selen A, Müllertz A, Kesisoglou F, Ho RJY, Cook JA, Dickinson PA, Flanagan T.“Integrated Multi-stakeholder Systems Thinking Strategy: Decision-making with Biopharmaceutics Risk Assessment Roadmap (BioRAM) to Optimize Clinical Performance of Drug Products.” AAPS J. 2020 Jul 27;22(5):97. PMID: 32719954

Ho RJY. “Midyear Commentary on Trends in Drug Delivery and Clinical Translational Medicine: Growth in Biosimilar (Complex Injectable Drug Formulation) Products Within Evolving Collaborative Regulatory Interagency (FDA, FTC, and DOJ) Practices and Enforcement.” J Pharm Sci. 2017 Feb;106(2):471-476.

Kraft JC, Treuting PM, Ho RJY. “Indocyanine green nanoparticles undergo selective lymphatic uptake, distribution and retention and enable detailed mapping of lymph vessels, nodes and abnormalities.” J Drug Targeting. 2018 Jun-Jul;26(5-6):494-504. PMID: 29388438.

Perazzolo S, Shireman LM, Koehn J, McConnachie LA, Kraft JC, Shen DD, Ho RJY. “Three HIV Drugs, Atazanavir, Ritonavir, and Tenofovir, Coformulated in Drug-Combination Nanoparticles Exhibit Long-Acting and Lymphocyte-Targeting Properties in Nonhuman Primates.” J Pharm Sci. 2018 Dec;107(12):3153-3162. PMID: 30121315.

Koehn J, Iwamoto JF, Kraft JC, McConnachie LA, Collier AC, Ho RJY. “Extended cell and plasma drug levels after one dose of a three-in-one nanosuspension containing lopinavir, efavirenz, and tenofovir in nonhuman primates.” AIDS. 2018 Nov 13;32(17):2463-2467. PMID:30102655.

McConnachie LA, Kinman LM, Koehn J, Kraft JC, Lane S, Lee W, Collier AC, Ho RJY. “Long-Acting Profile of 4 Drugs in 1 Anti-HIV Nanosuspension in Nonhuman Primates for 5 Weeks After a Single Subcutaneous Injection.” J Pharm Sci. 2018 Jul;107(7):1787-1790. PMID: 29548975.

Kraft JC, Freeling JP, Wang Z, Ho RJY. “Emerging research and clinical development trends of liposome and lipid nanoparticle drug delivery systems.” J Pharm Sci 103:29-52. 2014.

Freeling JP, Koehn J, Shu J, Sun J, Ho RJY. “Long-Acting Three-Drug Combination Anti-HIV Nanoparticles Enhance Drug Exposure in Primate Plasma and Cells within Lymph Nodes and Blood.” AIDS 28: 2625-2631, 2015 (highlighted by an accompanying editorial commentary in AIDS).