Research Projects
1. Prediction of drug disposition from in vitro data using a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model
2. Clarification of transport systems in the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid barries, and prediction of drug disposition in the central nervous system
3. Clarification of the mechanism of hepatic uptake and biliary excretion of drugs
4. Kinetic and molecular analysis of drug-drug interactions
5. Development of a rational strategy for drug delivery to the liver, kidney and central nervous system
6. Construction of a Web-based transporter database (TP-search)

Construction of a Web-based transporter database (TP-search)

Recently, many drug transporters have been cloned and analyses of their functions have been performed so that research in the field of transporters has rapidly expanded and is now carried out in many laboratories around the world. Following the great advances in transporter research, the importance of transporters as a determinant factor for pharmacokinetics has been recognized as a key element in the drug discovery and development process by all major pharmaceutical companies. Because so much information has been published in journals and monographs, the variety of nomenclatures and experimental methods has led to some confusion, and many people now want to have a transporter database which will rapidly provide researchers with all the information they require. A few years ago, we started to construct a Web-based transporter database (TP-search) in collaboration with Pharmacia K.K. (Dr. Naoki Ozawa (Present: Wyeth K.K.)), the Advanced Research Institute for Science and Engineering in Waseda University (Prof. Yoshimasa Hama), Nihon Visual Science, Inc. (Mr. Katsuhiko Taki) (URL: http://www.TP-search.jp/) (Fig. 8). In this database, information about substrates, tissue distribution and membrane localization of each drug transporter and drug interactions is included. Each item of information is linked to each reference record in PubMed allowing anyone to easily obtain detailed information. We believe that this transporter database is now the largest in the world both in terms of quality and quantity. In the future, we intend to make a great effort to provide the latest information by periodically updating and adding new information about pathophysiology and genetic polymorphisms in collaboration with CAC Corp. (Mr. Hajime Matsui).

Fig. 8