Research Summary

I am a world-renowned pharmacologist with many years of research experience particularly focused on transporter biology and pharmacogenomics. My research is focused on influx transporters, especially influx transporters involved in drug disposition and targeting. In the early 2000s, we began a comprehensive research program focused on the pharmacogenomics of membrane transporters. We published many papers ranging from functional genomics of transporter polymorphisms to clinical studies elucidating the role of transporter polymorphisms on clinical drug response. Our NIH-funded center, the Pharmacogenomics of Membrane Transporters Center, part of the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network, is widely recognized as the leading research unit in the world for the discovery, functional characterization and clinical relevance of polymorphisms in drug transporters. We have been leaders in the field of human genetic studies focused on metformin with a particular emphasis on membrane transporters.

Most recently, I am a co-Director of a FDA grant to establish a Center with education, exchange, and collaborative research programs that will greatly advance the ability of the FDA to evaluate and approve safe and effective drugs. This is a collaborative program between Stanford and UCSF that will develop quantitative and computer-based methods for the evaluation of new drug products. Importantly, research will focus on issues of bioequivalence between generic drug products including metformin tablets.

Research Funding

  • September 15, 2016 - August 31, 2021 - UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01FD005978
  • July 15, 2015 - June 30, 2020 - PGRN Administrative Coordination Hub, ACH (PGRN), Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH/NIGMS, Sponsor Award ID: U24GM115370
  • September 25, 2015 - August 31, 2019 - Discovery of Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers for Metformin Response, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01GM117163
  • September 20, 2014 - July 31, 2018 - Role of ABCG2 in the disposition and anti-hyperuricemic effects of allopurinol, Principal Investigator. Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DK103729

Education

University of Houston, Houston, TX, B.S., 1973, Pharmacy
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, Ph.D., 1979, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Postdoc, 1979-81, Pharmacology /Clinical Pharmacology

Honors & Awards

  • 1973
    Rho Chi, Honorary Pharmacy Fraternity
  • 1983-84
    Long Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, School of Pharmacy, UCSF
  • 1984-85
    UCSF Nominee, Recognition Award for Young Scholars, American Association of University Women
  • 1985-86
    Distinguished Teaching Award, UCSF, Academic Senate
  • 1990
    Leon Goldberg Young Investigator Award, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • 1990-94
    Member of Pharmacological Science Review Committee; National Institutes of Health (GM)
  • 1990-94
    Member of Generic Drugs Advisory Committee; Food and Drug Administration
  • 1992
    Recipient, Fogarty International Fellowship; National Institutes of Health
  • 1993
    Elected Fellow, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
  • 1994
    UCSF, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Women and Minorities
  • 1996-97
    Vice President, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • 1996-97
    UCSF, Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women
  • 1999
    Recognition Award for Distinguished Achievement of Filipino at UCSF
  • 1999
    International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Pharmaceutical Scientist of the Year
  • 2001
    Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • 2002
    Distinguished Bill Abram's Lectureship (FDA)
  • 2002
    First Distinguished Gerhard Levy Lectureship (SUNY Buffalo)
  • 2002
    Speaker: State Legislative Presentation 'The Impact of the Human Genome Pronect on Drug Development and Use: Tailoring Drugs to Individuals'
  • 2005
    Paul Dawson Biotechnology Award, American Association of College of Pharmacy
  • 2006
    Distinguished Scientist in Drug Metabolism, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
  • 2006
    Elected Member, Institute of Medicine
  • 2007
    International Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC) Research Achievement Award
  • 2007
    International Woman Scientist Award, Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Japan
  • 2008
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences (JSPS) Invitation Fellowship Program for Research in Japan
  • 2009
    Rawls-Palmer Progress in Medicine Award, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT)
  • 2009
    UCSF Postdoctoral Scholars Association Outstanding Mentor Award
  • 2010
    American College of Clinical Pharmacy Therapeutic Frontiers Lecture Award
  • 2011
    Scheele Award, Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Selected Publications

  1. Oxypurinol pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in healthy volunteers: Influence of BCRP Q141K polymorphism and patient characteristics.  View on PubMed
  2. McInnes G, Sharo AG, Koleske ML, Brown JEH, Norstad M, Adhikari AN, Wang S, Brenner SE, Halpern J, Koenig BA, Magnus DC, Gallagher RC, Giacomini KM, Altman RB Opportunities and challenges for the computational interpretation of rare variation in clinically important genes.  View on PubMed
  3. Yee SW, Vora B, Oskotsky TT, Zou L, Jakobsen S, Enogieru OJ, Koleske ML, Kosti I, Rödin M, Sirota M, Giacomini KM Drugs in COVID19 clinical trials: Predicting transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions using in vitro assays and real-world data.  View on PubMed
  4. Enogieru OJ, Koleske ML, Vora B, Ngo H, Yee SW, Chatad D, Sirota M, Giacomini KM The Effects of Genetic Mutations and Drugs on the Activity of the Thiamine Transporter, SLC19A2.  View on PubMed
  5. Lavertu A, Vora B, Giacomini KM, Altman R, Rensi S A New Era in Pharmacovigilance: Towards real world data and digital monitoring.  View on PubMed
  6. Neul C, Hofmann U, Schaeffeler E, Winter S, Klein K, Giacomini KM, Eichelbaum M, Schwab M, Nies AT Characterization of CYP2D6 drugs as substrates of human organic cation transporters (OCTs) and multidrug and toxin extrusion proteins (MATEs).  View on PubMed
  7. Yee SW, Buitrago D, Stecula A, Ngo HX, Chien HC, Zou L, Koleske ML, Giacomini KM Deorphaning a solute carrier 22 family member, SLC22A15, through functional genomic studies.  View on PubMed
  8. Matsson P, Baranczewski P, Giacomini KM, Andersson TB, Palm J, Palm K, Charman WN, Bergström CAS A Tribute to Professor Per Artursson - Scientist, Explorer, Mentor, Innovator, and Giant in Pharmaceutical Research.  View on PubMed
  9. Zou L, Matsson P, Stecula A, Ngo HX, Zur AA, Giacomini KM Drug Metabolites Potently Inhibit Renal Organic Anion Transporters, OAT1 and OAT3.  View on PubMed
  10. Wilson JL, Cheung KWK, Lin L, Green EAE, Porrás AI, Zou L, Mukanga D, Akpa PA, Darko DM, Yuan R, Ding S, Johnson WCN, Lee HA, Cooke E, Peck CC, Kern SE, Hartman D, Hayashi Y, Marks PW, Altman RB, Lumpkin MM, Giacomini KM, Blaschke TF Scientific considerations for global drug development.  View on PubMed
  11. Pottel J, Armstrong D, Zou L, Fekete A, Huang XP, Torosyan H, Bednarczyk D, Whitebread S, Bhhatarai B, Liang G, Jin H, Ghaemi SN, Slocum S, Lukacs KV, Irwin JJ, Berg EL, Giacomini KM, Roth BL, Shoichet BK, Urban L The activities of drug inactive ingredients on biological targets.  View on PubMed
  12. Lin L, Lemieux GA, Enogieru OJ, Giacomini KM, Ashrafi K Neural production of kynurenic acid in Caenorhabditis elegans requires the AAT-1 transporter.  View on PubMed
  13. van der Graaf PH, Giacomini KM COVID-19: A Defining Moment for Clinical Pharmacology?  View on PubMed
  14. Zou L, Spanogiannopoulos P, Pieper LM, Chien HC, Cai W, Khuri N, Pottel J, Vora B, Ni Z, Tsakalozou E, Zhang W, Shoichet BK, Giacomini KM, Turnbaugh PJ Bacterial metabolism rescues the inhibition of intestinal drug absorption by food and drug additives.  View on PubMed
  15. Shahin MH, Giacomini KM Oral Anticoagulants and Precision Medicine: Something Old, Something New.  View on PubMed
  16. Giacomini KM Novel Technologies Enable Mechanistic Understanding and Modeling of Drug Exposure and Response.  View on PubMed
  17. Chang YC, Wu JT, Hong MY, Tung YA, Hsieh PH, Yee SW, Giacomini KM, Oyang YJ, Chen CY GenEpi: gene-based epistasis discovery using machine learning.  View on PubMed
  18. Zou L, Pottel J, Khuri N, Ngo HX, Ni Z, Tsakalozou E, Warren MS, Huang Y, Shoichet BK, Giacomini KM Interactions of Oral Molecular Excipients with Breast Cancer Resistance Protein, BCRP.  View on PubMed
  19. van der Graaf PH, Giacomini KM Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 2030.  View on PubMed
  20. Vora B, Green EAE, Khuri N, Ballgren F, Sirota M, Giacomini KM Drug-nutrient interactions: discovering prescription drug inhibitors of the thiamine transporter ThTR-2 (SLC19A3).  View on PubMed

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