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Washington State University
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research

WSU awarded distinguished NIH grant to study natural product-drug interactions

The botanical dietary supplement that you’re taking may be natural, but is it safe? It was 2006 when Dr. Mary Paine, a professor at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, first published her clinical research study on the interaction between grapefruit juice and felodipine, a medication used to treat high blood pressure. Her work builds on the foundation laid by Dr. David Bailey from the University of Western Ontario, who discovered the “grapefruit juice effect” approximately 30 years ago. Through years of research, multiple investigators, including Dr. Paine and her post-doc mentor Dr. Paul Watkins, both while at the University of North Carolina … » More …

Treating the incurable: WSU researcher makes strides in prostate cancer research

In 2019 alone, there will be an estimated 174,650 new cases of prostate cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men and approximately one man in 41 will die of prostate cancer. Dr. Boyang (Jason) Wu, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, wants to change that. » More ...

WSU student group helps international students navigate life in Spokane

By Addy Hatch, WSU News

When Shamema Nasrin and her husband moved from Bangladesh to Spokane to attend the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, they didn’t know how to drive.

They didn’t know how to use a swipe card, pay taxes, or how to register for a Social Security number, which is required of international students.

“Everything was new,” Nasrin said recently of the couple’s experiences when they arrived in 2015. She and her husband both were pursuing doctoral degrees at WSU Health Sciences Spokane.

To help a growing number of international students attending the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nasrin … » More …

Pharmaceutical Sciences student awarded for research in nanotechnology to treat stroke and brain tumors

Xinyue (Sheena) Dong has spent the last four years as a pharmaceutical sciences graduate student researching how nanoparticle-based systems could be used to deliver treatments and treat brain disease. Recently, she was recognized for her hard work with the annual Harriett B. Rigas Outstanding Woman in Doctoral Studies Award presented by the Association for Faculty Women. » More ...

Research identifies critical protein in cancer treatment-related heart damage

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Spokane Office of Research

SPOKANE, Wash. – Many cancers can be successfully treated, but treatment itself often comes with risks as well. Cancer therapy that uses anthracyclines—a class of commonly used chemotherapy drugs—has been associated with heart damage that can eventually result in heart failure. It is thought to be the reason why heart disease is a leading cause of death in cancer survivors, immediately following cancer recurrence.

Scientists have not fully understood how exposure to anthracyclines can lead to heart failure, but a new study led by researchers at Washington State University has made a giant leap toward … » More …

What role does sleep play in sun damage and skin repair?

In 2010, the International Agency for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization recognized night shift work that disrupts the circadian rhythm as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This official recognition of the link between cancer and sleep disruption was a defining moment for Dr. Shobhan Gaddameedhi, an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. » More ...

Shobhan Gaddameedhi promoted to associate professor

Shobhan GaddameedhiSPOKANE, Wash. – Shobhan Gaddameedhi has been promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1, 2020, at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Gaddameedhi’s research lab centers on how circadian clock disruption influences anti-cancer drug treatment efficacy, DNA repair, inflammation and environmental carcinogenesis. His most recent research, published in January, suggests that a good night’s sleep plays a significant role in reducing heart damage from radiation therapy. World renowned organizations including the NIH (National Institute of … » More …

Study Suggests Biological Clock is Key to Reducing Heart Damage from Radiation Therapy

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Health Sciences Spokane Office of Research

SPOKANE, Wash. – Treatment for breast cancer commonly includes radiation therapy, which offers good chances of success but comes with a serious long-term side effect: toxicity due to radiation that reaches the heart, causing DNA damage in healthy heart cells. Over time, this can lead to heart disease and eventually heart failure.

A new study conducted by researchers in the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences suggests that a preventive solution may lie in the biological clock, the built-in time-keeping mechanism that keeps us on a 24-hour cycle of rest … » More …

Finding the right dosing for children

Prescribe at your own risk. That is the general feeling that most doctors get when prescribing medicine to children. Due to ethical and legal challenges, conducting clinical trials on children has proven to be a major obstacle for drug researchers. In fact, many prescription drugs rarely go through clinical trials using children. As a result, doctors only have two options in pediatric care: 1. Don’t prescribe children drugs shown to be effective in adults, or 2. Prescribe drugs off-label to children at their own risk. That’s where Dr. Bhagwat Prasad, Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at WSU, is transforming pediatric precision medicine so that drugs … » More …

New technology promises improved treatment of inflammatory diseases

By Judith Van Dongen, Office of Research, WSU Health Sciences Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. – A study led by researchers at Washington State University has uncovered a potential new treatment approach for diseases associated with inflammation, including sepsis, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, acute lung injury, and atherosclerosis.

Published in the open-access journal Science Advances, their paper describes a novel, patent-pending technology that uses nanosized particles to transport cell-killing drugs directly to activated neutrophils, the cells that drive the exaggerated immune response involved in inflammatory diseases. They also demonstrated the technology’s feasibility at selectively killing activated neutrophils without harming other cell types or compromising the immune system.

… » More …