Muluneh Fashe is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for the March 2020 issue. Dr. Fashe is a postdoctoral trainee at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS/NIH). He works in the pharmacogenetics section of the Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory under the supervision of his mentor, Dr. Masahiko Negishi. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned his selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “Ser100-Phosphorylated RORα Orchestrates CAR and HNF4α to Form Active Chromatin Complex in Response to Phenobarbital to Regulate Induction of CYP2B6” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/mol.119.118273.
Dr. Fashe’s area of research interest is in pharmacogenetics relevant to xenobiotic bioactivation. Dr. Fashe’s research strives to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the differential expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes in diabetic human livers of different genetic and gender backgrounds. Currently, his research focuses on understanding how two or more nuclear receptors communicate to integrate and regulate their transcriptional activities in diabetic or nondiabetic human livers or human primary hepatocytes in response to xenobiotics.
The anticipated impact of Dr. Fashe’s research is to provide a mechanistic explanation for the well-observed but less well-understood differential expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes in diabetic livers, which in turn can be valuable knowledge in the development of therapeutics or their clinical use in this group of patients.
When not at work, Muluneh enjoys spending time with his family, watching soccer games, and biking.