The metabolic alteration of drugs and other chemicals in the human body varies greatly from person to person and also between ethnic groups. The heritable aspect of this variability is the unifying topic of research in our laboratory. In some instances, differences exhibit a bimodal distribution indicative of a genetic polymorphism or even deficiency. Equally important, many of these enzymatic routes of elimination, including most of those occurring via the CYP450 enzymes, can be inhibited or induced by concomitant drug treatment.
Abrupt changes can occur and profoundly alter a new drug's safety and efficacy profile.
Human liver preparations to metabolize drugs and toxicants in vitro provide rapid initial information on potential drug-drug interactions and often save the trouble of extrapolation of animal data to man. The ultimate goal is to determine which drugs are affected by a known variation so that medical attention can be drawn to potential clinical problems. Collaborative research involves universities in Panama, U.S., Germany and Japan as well as in Canada. Selected Publications Kishimoto M, Sano H, Chang F, Kawamori R, Kamada T, Tang BK, Inaba T. Inter-individual variability of acetohexamide carbonyl reductase activity in human erythrocytes.