Brad Urquhart
Assistant Professor
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PH.D. University of Western Ontario |
The focus of my laboratory is studying the mechanisms responsible for variation of response to medications in the setting of kidney disease. It is estimated that there are currently 2 million Canadians who either have or are at high risk of developing kidney disease. Approximately 35,000 Canadians are currently on renal replacement therapy (i.e. dialysis) and this number is expected to double over the next 10 years. Patients with chronic kidney disease require several prescription medications to control co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension and various types of infection. In fact, dialysis patients often receive 6-12 medications concurrently. Although the effect of kidney failure on the renal excretion of drugs is well documented, emerging evidence suggests that absorption, distribution and metabolism of many drugs are significantly altered leading to variable pharmacokinetics and efficacy. The objective of my laboratory is to gain a better understanding of the processes that govern the response to drugs in kidney failure. In particular, we study the activity and regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transport proteins in the setting of kidney failure. The vision of the lab is to use molecular biology combined with clinical investigation in order to appreciate both the mechanistic basis for variable drug response along with providing useful clinical data to optimize drug therapy in patients.
BCRP (ABCG2) and Drug Disposition: Intestinal Expression, Polymorphisms and Sulfasalazine as an In Vivo Probe. BL Urquhart, JA Ware, RG Tirona, RH Ho, BF Leake, UI Schwarz, H Zaher, J Palandra, JC Gregor, G K Dresser and RB Kim. Pharmacogenetics and Genomics (2008)18(5):439-448 Mesna for the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia in hemodialysis patients: a placebo-controlled, double-blind randomized trial. BL Urquhart, DJ Freeman, MJ Cutler, R Mainra, JD Spence and AA House. The Clinical Journal of the American Society for Nephrology (2008)3(4):1041-7 Nuclear receptors and the regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters: implications for interindividual variability in response to drugs. BL Urquhart, RG Tirona and RB Kim. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2007)47(5):566-578 The effect of mesna (sodium 2-mercaptoethane sulfonate) on plasma total homocysteine concentrations in hemodialysis patients. BL Urquhart, AA House, JD Spence, MJ Cutler and DJ Freeman. American Journal of Kidney Diseases (2007)49(1):109-117 Mesna as a Non-Vitamin Intervention to Lower Plasma Total Homocysteine Concentration: Implications for Assessment of the Homocysteine Theory of Atherosclerosis. BL Urquhart, AA House, JD Spence and DJ Freeman. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2007)47(8):991-997
