The Drug Research Unit (DRU) is a biomedical research and training program in which faculty, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and students carry out drug research, with emphasis on pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD).
It is the home of the research programs of:
| Francesca Aweeka, PharmD | Director Emerita |
| Liusheng Huang, PhD | Codirector |
| Amelia Deitchman, PharmD, PhD | Codirector |
We also serve as a Pharmacology Core for the Center for Aids Research (CFAR).
Location
Pride Hall
We are located in Pride Hall on the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center campus in approximately 2,300 square feet (or 214 square meters) of new laboratory and administrative space. We collaborate on clinical trials conducted at the General Clinical Research Center, ZSFG Hospital, Department of Medicine.
Aims
The DRU aims to provide:
- Research services through the development, validation, and application of innovative or specialized pharmacologic assays, including small volume, filter paper, and intracellular assays.
- Scientific leadership and laboratory resources for domestic and international research, including:
- PK and PD studies of:
- Factors predictive of therapeutic and toxic effects in support of translational research.
- Distinct populations including women, pregnant women, and children.
- Novel compounds or interventions including those for HIV, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and cancer.
- Drug-drug interaction studies for malaria, HIV, and TB, as especially relevant for international populations.
- PK and PD studies of:
- Education and outreach through:
- Mentoring and training of junior investigators and fellows in pharmacologic research located at UCSF and in countries including Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Sweden.
- Consultation with research collaborators, junior scientists, and community members to assist in the interpretation and comprehension of pharmacologic research findings.
Services and collaborative research
Analysis and project design
- Clinical-translational pharmacology study design
- Development of highly sensitive LC-MS/MS assays for quantitation of drugs and biomarkers
- Statistical and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (drug exposure-response) analyses
- Disease pathogenesis and biomarker analysis
- Computational support for statistical analyses
- Collaborative project planning and grant writing including assistance with preliminary studies
Scientific leadership and laboratory resources
In domestic and international research:
- PK and PD studies for HIV, COVID-19 and long COVID, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and cancer, among others
- Biological and pathogenesis studies
- Modeling of immunologic and virologic data as it related to drug treatment
- Clinical translational research in distinct populations including pregnant women and children
- Drug-drug interaction studies for malaria, HIV, and TB
Education and outreach
- Mentorship and training of junior investigators and fellows in pharmacologic research located at UCSF and internationally including Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Sweden
- Consultation with research collaborators, junior scientists, and community members to assist in the interpretation and comprehension of pharmacologic research findings
Expertise
- Clinical pharmacology research for HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, oncology, and bacterial infections
- Clinical trial design
- Pharmacokinetic and statistical analyses
- Bioanalytical methodology for drug and biomarker quantitation (e.g., HPLC, MS, ELISA)