Yu Wang, PhD is the Drug Metabolism and Disposition Highlighted Trainee Author for the September 2024 issue. Wang is a postdoctoral researcher and graduated from Zhejiang University.  

The DMD article that earned her the selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “SND1 Regulates Organic Anion Transporter 2 Protein Expression and Sensitivity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to 5-Fluorouracil” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/dmd.124.001757.

Wang explained that drug transporters are crucial in drug disposition and intracellular concentration. However, he said their regulatory mechanism in diseases is not well understood. Previous studies focused on transcriptional level. The regulatory mechanism at the protein expression level remains unknown, and regulating drug transporter levels in cells might enhance drug efficacy. 

His research project uncovered the regulatory mechanism of OAT2 protein expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and designed a strategy to enhance the anti-HCC efficacy of 5-FU (a substrate of OAT2). Wang hopes these studies will provide valuable references for this research area.