Lauren Aleksunes, PharmD, PhD, DABT

Professor, Graduate Director, CTSA Workforce Development Lead

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Education & Training

PhD - Pharmacology and Toxicology - University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
PharmD - University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
BS - Pharmacy Studies - University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Post-Doctoral Fellowship - Pharmacology and Toxicology - University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

Certifications

2012 - Present, Diplomat, American Board of Toxicology
2002 - Present, Registered Pharmacist

Research Interests

The ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC) are members of a superfamily of transporters found in the plasma membrane. ABC transporters function as efflux pumps that remove chemicals from the cell. As a result, transporters limit the cellular accumulation of drugs and toxicants. These transporters are important in removing chemicals from the liver and kidneys and can protect against target organ toxicity. Similarly, these efflux pumps are expressed in the placenta and participate in maternal-fetal xenobiotic disposition, thereby protecting the developing fetus from toxicant exposure.
Dr. Aleksunes’ laboratory investigates how drug transporters in the liver, kidneys, brain, and placenta protect against the accumulation and toxicity of pharmaceuticals and environmental chemicals. Her studies aim to 1) characterize substrates and inhibitors for efflux transporters, 2) determine how genetic variants influence transporter function, and 3) understand the regulatory mechanisms that control expression of transporters. Dr. Aleksunes’ laboratory utilizes molecular biology, cell biology, in vivo transgenic animal, explant human tissue, biomarkers of toxicity, and pharmacokinetic approaches to study the interplay of drug transport and toxicology. The Aleksunes laboratory is funded by NIH R01ES029275, R01GM123330, and R01ES031080.
Research Highlights:
•Identification of pharmacogenetic risk factors, drug interactions and biomarkers for cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in humans.
•Characterization of environmental chemicals as substrates and inhibitors of human placental efflux transporters.
•Elucidation of regulatory mechanisms controlling transporter expression in the placenta.
•Development of in vitro mechanistic toxicology screens for computational modeling studies.

Scholarly Activities

•Lead of the NJ ACTS Workforce Development Core
•Director of the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology
•Co-Director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
•Organizing Committee for Pharmacy Research Day at Rutgers University, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
•Member and Chair (2015-2016) of the Steering Committee for the New Jersey Drug Metabolism Discussion Group
•Rutgers Leadership Academy (2015-2017)
•Mid-Atlantic Society of Toxicology Presidential Chain (2020-2022)
•Vice Chair and Chair, Gordon Research Conference, Multidrug Efflux Systems (2019-2023)

Publications