Our research focuses on 1) the mechanism of abnormal metal transport that causes neurobehavioral and neurochemical dysfunction (e.g. cognitive/memory deficits, anxiety/hyperactivity, impaired motor coordination) and hematological/cardiovascular complications, 2) the identification of the factors that influence iron and metal transport and their toxicities in relation to genetic polymorphism, altered nutrition and environmental exposure, and 3) the development of novel therapeutic strategies for iron disorders and associated disease conditions listed above using small molecules (molecular prosthetics) and large molecules (nanoparticles for gene/drug delivery).
Our research interest centers around the characterization of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and toxicity of drugs and metals, including essential metals (iron, manganese and copper) and toxic heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic) in the context of environmental exposure and genetic susceptibility (gene-environment interactions). My laboratory elucidates the relationships between metal/drug transport and hematological, cardiovascular and neurological disorders in the areas of pharmacokinetics, drug delivery and toxicology. We further evaluate the physiological relevance of genes and molecules responsible for impaired iron transport and heavy metal toxicity using various animal models of iron-deficient anemia and iron-overload disorders – important and current public health issues. The very fundamental questions about metal transport and its regulation have applications for both pathophysiology and therapeutics for hematological, cardiovascular and neurological disorders.