Individualized Drug Therapy (INDIVIDRUG)

Recent and ongoing advances in the methods in genomic and pharmacokinetic analyses, as well as the facilitating changes in the legislative environment open up novel possibilities to investigate the individualization of drug therapies.

The Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program brings together groups involved in basic, translational and clinical drug research. The synergistic interdisciplinary combination of experts in in vitro and animal models, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics, systems pharmacology and modeling, as well as clinical research in major therapeutic areas forms a cutting-edge center of individualized drug therapy.

Program director

Mikko Niemi
Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics
Biomedicum 2C 307
Haartmaninkatu 8
00014 University of Helsinki
tel. +358 50 428 0998
mikko.niemi@helsinki.fi

Janne Backman - Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics
Erkki Isometsä
Michael Jeltsch - Lymphangiogenesis Research and Antibody Development
Sinem Karaman - Organotypic Vasculature
Tuomas Lilius - Translational Neuropharmacology
Sirpa Loukovaara - Translational Diabetic Retinopathy and Fibrovascular Complications
Marjukka Myllärniemi - Lung Factor
Klaus Olkkola
Pekka Rauhala
Kim Vettenranta

Martti Färkkilä
Jukka Kanerva
Heli Malm
Kimmo Porkka

Events

INDIVIDRUG seminar series
Symposium

"Drug safety during pregnancy and lactation - 30 years of teratology information service in Finland"

April 17th, 2024 // 12:00-16:00 // Biomedicum, lecture hall 2 (Haartmaninkatu 8, Helsinki, Finland)

Key Publications from INDIVIDRUG

Lohela TJ, Poikola S, Backmansson D, Lapatto-Reiniluoto O, Backman JT, Olkkola KT, Lilius TO. Influence of Intravenous S-Ketamine on the Pharmacokinetics of Oral Morphine in Healthy Volunteers. Anesth Analg. 2023 Sep 21.doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000006640. Online ahead of print.PMID: 37733945
Kujala J, Wester N, Lohela TJ, Kurkela M, Backman JT, Mikladal B, Laurila T, Koskinen J, Lilius TO, Kalso EA. Introduction of an electrochemical point-of-care assay for quantitative determination of paracetamol in finger-prick capillary whole blood samples. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2023 Sep;89(9):2933-2938.doi: 10.1111/bcp.15794. Epub 2023 Jun 7.PMID: 37218304
Persson NDÅ, Uusalo P, Nedergaard M, Lohela TJ, Lilius TO. Could dexmedetomidine be repurposed as a glymphatic enhancer? Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2022 Dec;43(12):1030-1040. doi: 10.1016/j.tips.2022.09.007. Epub 2022 Oct 21. PMID: 36280451.
Rauniyar, K.; Akhondzadeh, S.; Gąciarz, A.; Künnapuu, J.; Jeltsch, M. Bioactive VEGF-C from E. Coli. Scientific Reports 2022, 12, 18157, doi:10.1038/s41598-022-22960-0.
Lohela, T.J., Lilius, T.O. & Nedergaard, M. The glymphatic system: implications for drugs for central nervous system diseases. Nat Rev Drug Discov (2022).
Kelley, D.H., Bohr, T., Hjorth, P.G., Holst, S.C., Hrabětová, S., Kiviniemi, V., Lilius, T., Lundgaard, I., Mardal, K.-A., Martens, E.A., Mori, Y., Nägerl, U.V., Nicholson, C., Tannenbaum, A., Thomas, J.H., Tithof, J., Benveniste, H., Iliff, J.J., Nedergaard, M., The glymphatic system: Current understanding and modeling, ISCIENCE (2022)
Blomqvist, K. J., Skogster, M. O. B., Kurkela, M. J., Rosenholm, M. P., Ahlström, F. H. G., Airavaara, M. T., Backman, J. T., Rauhala, P. V., Kalso, E. A., & Lilius, T. O. (2022). Systemic hypertonic saline enhances glymphatic spinal cord delivery of lumbar intrathecal morphine. Journal of Controlled Release, 344, 214–224
Karaman S, Paavonsalo S, Heinolainen K, Lackman MH, Ranta A, Hemanthakumar KA, ... & Alitalo K. Interplay of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors in organ-specific vessel maintenance. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 2022, 219(3), e20210565.
Kahma H, Aurinsalo L, Neuvonen M, Katajamäki J, Paludetto MN, Viinamäki J, Launiainen T, Filppula AM, Tornio A, Niemi M, Backman JT. An automated cocktail method for in vitro assessment of direct and time-dependent inhibition of nine major cytochrome P450 enzymes - Application to establishing CYP2C8 inhibitor selectivity. Eur J Pharm Sci 2021; 19: 05810.
Neuvonen M, Hirvensalo P, Tornio A, Rago B, West M, Lazzaro S, Mathialagan S, Varma M, Cerny MA, Costales C, Ramanathan R, Rodrigues AD, Niemi M. Identification of Glycochenodeoxycholate 3-O-glucuronide and Glycodeoxycholate 3-O-glucuronide as Highly Sensitive and Specific OATP1B1 Biomarkers. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2020 S. doi: 10.1002/cpt.2053. Epub ahead of print. PMID:32961594.
Lehtisalo M, Keskitalo JE, Tornio A, Lapatto-Reiniluoto O, Deng F, Jaatinen T, Viinamäki J, Neuvonen M, Backman JT, Niemi M. Febuxostat, But Not Allopurinol, Markedly Raises the Plasma Concentrations of the Breast Cancer Resistance Protein Substrate Rosuvastatin. Clinical and Translational Science. 2020, 13(6):1236-1243.<
Paavonsalo S, Hariharan S, Lackman MH, Karaman S. Capillary Rarefaction in Obesity and Metabolic Diseases—Organ-Specificity and Possible Mechanisms. Cells, 2020, 9, 2683.
Kaartinen TJK, Tornio A, Tapaninen T, Launiainen T, Isoherranen N, Niemi M & Backman JT. Effect of High-Dose Esomeprazole on CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 Activities in Humans: Evidence for Substantial and Long-lasting Inhibition of CYP2C19. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2020, 108(6):1254-1264.
Tapaninen T, Olkkola AM, Tornio A, Neuvonen M, Elonen E, Neuvonen PJ, Niemi M & Backman JT. Itraconazole Increases Ibrutinib Exposure 10-Fold and Reduces Interindividual Variation-A Potentially Beneficial Drug-Drug Interaction. Clinical and translational science. 2020, 13(2): 345-351.
Blomqvist KJ, Dudek K, Viisanen H, Mätlik, K, Ahlström FHG, Laitila J, Kalso EA, Rauhala PV & Lilius TO. Antagonism of peripheral opioid receptors by methylnaltrexone does not prevent morphine tolerance in rats. Journal of Neuroscience Research. 2020.
Lohela T, Poikola S, Neuvonen M, Niemi M, Backman J, Olkkola K & Lilius T. Rifampin Reduces the Plasma Concentrations of Oral and Intravenous Hydromorphone in Healthy Volunteers. Anesthesia & Analgesia. 2020.
Gucciardo E, Loukovaara S, Korhonen A, Lehti K. An Ex Vivo Tissue Culture Model for Fibrovascular Complications in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 2019, 25(143).
Baryshnikov I, Sund R, Marttunen M, Svirskis T, Partonen T, Pirkola S & Isometsä ET. Diagnostic conversion from unipolar depression to bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or schizoaffective disorder: A nationwide prospective 15-year register study on 43 495 inpatients. Bipolar Disorders. 2020, 22(6): 582-592.
Jha SK, Rauniyar K, Chronowska E, Mattonet K, Maina EW, Koistinen H, Stenman U-H, Alitalo K, Jeltsch M. KLK3/PSA and Cathepsin D activate VEGF-C and VEGF-D. eLife. 2019, Vol 8: e44478.
Paajanen J, Laaksonen S, Ilonen I, Vehmas T, Mäyränpää MI, Sutinen E, Kettunen E, Salo JA, Räsänen J, Wolff H & Myllärniemi M. Clinical Features in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma With 5-Year Survival and Evaluation of Original Diagnoses. Clinical Lung Cancer. 2020, 21(6):E633-E639.
Li X, Frechen S, Moj D, Lehr T, Taubert M, Hsin S, Mikus G, Neuvonen PJ, Olkkola K, Saari T & Fuhr U. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of voriconazole integrating time-dependent inhibition of CYP3A4, genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C19 and predictions of drug-drug interactions. Clinical Pharmacokinetics. 2020, 59(6):781-808.
Huttunen P, Taskinen M & Vettenranta K. Acute toxicity and outcome among pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic transplant patients conditioned with treosulfan-based regimens. Pediatric hematology and oncology. 2020, 37(5):355-364.
Ellfolk M, Tornio A, Niemi M, Leinonen MK, Lahesmaa-Korpinen AM, Malm H. Placental transporter-mediated drug interactions and offspring congenital anomalies. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2020, 86(5):868-879.