Ziteng Wang is the Drug Metabolism and Disposition Highlighted Trainee Author for the October 2022 issue. Dr. Wang is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacy at the National University of Singapore under the tutelage of Professor Eric Chun Yong Chan. The DMD article that earned his selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “Inhibition of cytochrome P450 2J2-mediated metabolism of rivaroxaban and arachidonic acid by ibrutinib and osimertinib” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/dmd.122.000928 .

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on drug metabolism and complex drug-drug interactions, with the application of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models for pharmacotherapy optimization. He is concurrently exploring the application of PBPK models to facilitate the diagnosis of abuse and risk assessment of illicit substances, particularly focusing on their metabolism and implicated enzyme inhibition.

The highlighted work characterized CYP2J2-mediated typical and atypical enzyme kinetics and illuminated novel dysregulation of CYP2J2-mediated metabolism by ibrutinib and osimertinib. Given the relevance of CYP2J2 in the metabolism of endogenous arachidonic acid to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids which are in turn biologically active in terms of cardioprotection and heart rhythm control, the novel findings lay the groundwork for future investigation of the role of CYP2J2 inhibition in defining the clinically important yet arcane mechanism of tyrosine kinase inhibitor-induced cardiac arrhythmia.

Outside of the lab, Ziteng enjoys swimming and traveling. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.