Molecular Pharmacology and Chemical Biology

Understanding the fate (pharmacokinetics or PK) and action (pharmacodynamics or PD) of a drug is essential for preclinical and clinical drug development as well as the practice of precision medicine. The MPCBSR helps investigators study new therapeutics for the leading causes of cancer deaths within the cancer center’s catchment area by providing comprehensive services for

1. High-quality collection, processing, and management of clinical trial specimens and evaluation of clinical PK/PD and potential drug-drug interactions (DDI)
2. Preclinical molecular pharmacological studies on novel agents that are translatable to the clinic, including drug metabolism and disposition (DMD), PK/PD, on-target mechanisms, biomarkers, and combination effects
3. Chemical synthesis of new compounds and drug delivery nanomaterials for drug discovery and development

The technologies and state-of-the-art instruments available at the MPCBSR support a wide variety of molecular pharmacology and chemical biology studies. Our faculty and staff members are worldwide leaders in the fields and have the expertise to offer guidance and training for scientists on the principles and technologies used in anticancer pharmacology and chemical biology.

Services

The MPCBSR provides essential and a broad spectrum of services for the assessment of new therapeutics, including high-quality collection and management of clinical trial specimens and determination of clinical PK/PD and potential drug-drug interactions (DDI), pharmacological studies on novel therapeutics in preclinical models, including DM/PK/PD, on-target mechanisms, biomarkers, and combination effects, and chemical synthesis of new compounds and drug delivery nanomaterials for improved therapy.

Clinical Specimens and PK/PD Studies

We offer timely, 24/7 collection, processing, and management of specimens for clinical PK/PD and safety studies. The MPCBSR conducts around 3,000 patient specimen collections each year. Many involve unique protocols and processing requirements. We oversee virtually all patient specimen collection for oncology clinical trials at the cancer center.

We also help investigators develop and use new assays to:

• Quantify specific drugs, metabolites and biomarkers in patient samples
• Perform PK/PD analyses and modeling
• Evaluate possible DDIs
• Interpret study data and results

Preclinical Molecular Pharmacology Studies

The MPCBSR assists UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators in evaluating new therapeutics that are translatable to the clinic, by using clinically relevant animal models, cell lines and organoids. We have many established assays and the capability to develop new methods to:

• Assess potential DDIs
• Determine on- and off-target effects
• Evaluate synergistic, additive or antagonist effects of new drug combinations
• Investigate pharmacological actions and possible biomarkers
• Understand the DM/PK/PD properties of new agents

We also provide one-of-a-kind bioengineered RNA molecules (including miRNAs, siRNAs, aptamers and other forms of small RNAs) to study cancer biology and investigate new therapeutics, which are made in vivo and distinguished from conventional agents synthesized in vitro.

MPSR PPMS portal

Chemical Biology Studies

The MPCBSR provides a wide variety of chemical compounds to investigators and offers chemistry support for their cancer research. Examples of services include:

• Provide pre-made and custom-made OBOC and OB2C peptide and small molecule combinatorial libraries
• Synthesize peptides and peptide derivatives including biotin or fluorescent-labeled peptides
• Design and synthesize peptide- and antibody-drug conjugates
• Provide micelle, polymer, peptide, or protein-based nanoplatforms for drug delivery
• Assist drug design, structure-activity relationship study and lead optimization

CCCBSR PPMS portal