This episode of the Pharmaron DMPK Insights Podcast Series sees Chris Bode (Pharmaron US Labs) interview Peter Turnbaugh, a microbiologist and professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the G.W. Hooper Research Foundation and the Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and a CZ Biohub-San Francisco Investigator.
Peter has produced a wide range of groundbreaking research over the past 20 years, primarily focused on the fascinating field of the gut microbiome. This episode focuses on his extensive work in DMPK, specifically examining drug metabolism through gut bacteria and its impact on pharmacokinetics.
The area of work is especially important from a clinical perspective, because increased side effects and/or reduced efficacy in some patients can be attributed to the gut microbiome, including in the case of narrow therapeutic index drugs like digoxin.
Listeners can expect to gain an increased appreciation of scientific creativity and the occasionally unanticipated benefits of conducting an experiment that is expected to fail.
Chris and Peter speculate on what remains to be learned about potential interactions between the gut microbiome and drugs for obesity, including GLP-1 agonists, as well as examining some of the practical considerations for studying bacterial drug metabolism in vitro.
This episode also explores several other key areas, including:
- The importance of the gut microbiome in terms of drug metabolism
- The balance between the host’s control of the microbiome and the microbiome’s control of the host
- Challenges linked to the study of gut bacterial drug metabolism in vitro
- The potential role of gut bacteria in GLP1 agonists’ efficacy and/or side effects, including those such as semaglutide and other drugs used to treat obesity and diabetes
Acknowledgments
Produced from materials originally authored by Pharmaron Beijing Co., Ltd.
About Pharmaron
Pharmaron (Stock Code: 300759.SZ/3759.HK) is a premier R&D service provider for the life sciences industry. Founded in 2004, Pharmaron has invested in its people and facilities, and established a broad spectrum of research, development and manufacturing service capabilities throughout the entire drug discovery, preclinical and clinical development process across multiple therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, biologics and CGT products. With over 17,000 employees, and operations in China, the U.S., and the U.K., Pharmaron has an excellent track record in the delivery of R&D solutions to its partners in North America, Europe, Japan and China.
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