Personalized Pharmacology

Explore Our Commitment to Research Excellence and Innovation

We are a research group dedicated to personalized pharmacology, with a focus on membrane proteins — the receptors and transporters embedded in the cell membrane that mediate how the body senses and responds to signals, and that serve as the target for the majority of approved drugs. Our work centers on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest and most pharmacologically important family within this class, while extending our approach to other membrane protein targets. We would like to understand how individual variation in membrane protein structure and signaling shapes drug response, with the goal of moving beyond one-size-fits-all therapeutics toward treatments tailored to a person’s own proteome.

Figure showing an experimental set-up to characterize drug binding to membrane protein genetic variants. A fluorescent probe and an unlabeled drug candidate are added to a membrane protein sample, where they compete for binding to the protein embedded in the membrane. Samples are arrayed in a multiwell plate and read on a fluorescence plate reader or using fluorescence microscope to generate binding curves. AS a results, pharmacological parameters can be evaluated and compared to wild-type protein.