Barriers to Absorption and Drug Uptake
Tissue barriers modulate how drug molecules reach their targets in the body. We develop biophysical, cell-based, and tissue-based models to study drug absorption across tissue barriers, with a particular focus on the gastrointestinal mucosa, liver and bile ducts, and the blood-brain barrier. Model systems are combined with advanced genomic and proteomic analyses and computational modeling to elucidate the mechanisms of drug disposition.
The Drug Formulation Group has been pioneering the development of cell-based models and computational models for studying intestinal drug transport and predicting oral drug absorption, including the Caco-2 permeability model. The Ussing chamber system, where the transport of drugs and biologics across the human intestinal epithelium can be studied, is used to approximate the clinical in vivo situation as closely as possible in a laboratory environment.
The blood-brain barrier plays a crucial role in regulating drug entry into the brain. Crossing the BBB is a necessary step for CNS drugs but can lead to side effects for drugs targeting other parts of the body. We develop cell models, for example using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, and combine these with proteomics-based predictions to determine how specific drug transport processes contribute to blood-brain barrier penetration.
Contact
- Visiting Address: BMC, Husargatan 3, A1:2, A2:2, A3:3, B3:3, B3:4, C2:2
- Letter and Postal Address: Box 580, SE-751 23 Uppsala