Austin Sun is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for the December 2023 issue. Currently, Dr. Sun is working as a DMPK Scientist at Morphic Therapeutic. The highlighted manuscript listed below is from his doctoral research at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutics, under the mentorship of Dr. Joanne Wang. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned him the selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled "Molecular Mechanisms of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide–Mediated Organic Anion Clearance at the Blood–Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier" and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.123.000703.
Dr. Sun's research is focused on investigating and characterizing xenobiotic transporters at the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, which plays an important but understudied role in brain drug disposition and clearance. He has identified and highlighted the mechanisms of an efficient transport pathway for large organic anion clearance from the CSF, mediated by OATP1A2 in humans (OATP1A5 in mice) at the apical membrane of the blood-CSF barrier.
Dr. Sun's research aims to provide a more mechanistic understanding of xenobiotic transport processes that govern large organic anion clearance at the blood-CSF barrier. As drug concentrations within the central nervous system (CNS) often cannot directly be sampled in humans, an improved understanding of xenobiotic transport processes at the blood-CSF barrier may benefit the prediction of CNS pharmacokinetics and inform the identification of drug candidates with favorable CNS pharmacokinetic properties.
Outside of research, Dr. Sun enjoys hiking, cooking, and playing video games. He also enjoys playing with his cat, Mio.