Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded $382,339 to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) on July 1, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2031. This Project Grant funds investigator-initiated research examining the molecular regulation of hepatic drug transport proteins, specifically organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATP1B1/3) and organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1). The research aims to identify and validate novel post-translational modification mechanisms—particularly lysine acetylation controlled by lysine deacetylase 6 (KDAC6)—that regulate these liver-specific transporters using human OATP1B1/3-transgenic mice and KDAC6-knockdown models.

The deliverables under this award include fundamental scientific discoveries designed to advance understanding of drug transporter regulation and mitigate transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions (DDIs) that may cause severe adverse effects such as statin-induced rhabdomyolysis. The research directly supports NIGMS's mission to increase understanding of biological processes and lay the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention by generating novel insights into hepatic transporter biology that will enhance drug efficacy and reduce harmful side effects in clinical practice.