An important part of drug discovery is to determine the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) properties of a drug candidate. Here at UNC we offer an exceptional in-house facility to study these critical drug properties.
Advancement of a drug through the development process requires evaluating its clearance and half-life in blood and is distribution to tumor and tissues. PK/PD analysis also can drive refinement of a drug candidate’s structure and function early in development which often can lead to optimize routes of administration (IV vs PO) and treatment regimens. These refinements can lead to increased efficacy and reduced toxicity. The Analytical Chemistry and Pharmacology Core (ACPC) Lab available in the UNC LCCC can perform studies related to formulation development, analytical assay development, in vitro and in vivo PK and PD studies, biomarkers, efficacy and toxicity studies. The ACPC can also consult on the design and implementation of these studies and the overall translational development of drugs, especially anticancer agents and carrier-mediated agents (CMA), such as nanoparticles and antibody drug conjugates. The ACPC staff have >70 years of experience in performing these types of studies.
The facility, located in Genetic Medicine Building, houses three Thermo TSQ Quantum triple quadrupole mass spectrometers, a Thermo LTQ-Orbitrap (ion-trap Orbitrap hybrid) Discovery mass spectrometer and Thermo Exactive Orbit trap mass spectrometer. All are coupled upfront with Shimadzu Prominence LC systems for LC-MS and LC-MS/MS capabilities for the quantitation of drug candidates and the identification of drug metabolites, antisense and siRNA, and other biomarkers. The facility utilizes ICP-MS for analytical studies of metals such as copper, gold and platinum. The lab also contains two Shimadzu Prominence HPLC systems. Laboratory robotic automation is available to improve sample preparation throughput and provide a more uniform sample history. Run by Dr. Bill Zamboni the facility has a special emphasis and novel analytical and pharmacologic methods for preclinical and clinical development of CMAs. Dr. Zamboni’s group can develop, implement and validate analytical assays of samples for these agents in blood cells, plasma, tumor and tissues and most other biological and non-biological matrices.
The costs of these services are supported through UNC LCCC and made available to users at a significant discount. Services such as assay development, validation and analysis range from 1/2 to 1/3 of the costs that a contract research organization would charge.
The projects of the ACPC are highly collaborative involving not only UNC faculty and outside academic collaborators but also private pharmaceutical companies. This interaction, with more than a dozen outside entities, allows our Investigators to participate more broadly in cutting-edge drug development.
More information on the ACPC Lab or any of Lineberger’s other shared resources can be found at: http://unclineberger.org/research/core-facilities or contact Dr. Zamboni (zamboni@email.unc.edu) or Dr. John Kagel, ACPC Director of Lab Operations (kagel@email.unc.edu).