Micheline Piquette-Miller

Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in regulation of drug transport proteins particularly as it pertains to pathophysiological changes in drug disposition. The influence of disease and endogenous mediators on the gene expression and functionality of transport proteins is examined using a combination of in vivo, in vitro, in situ and molecular biology techniques. The combination of these methods allows us to assess clinical relevance as well as to ascertain the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms involved.

To date, studies in our laboratory have revealed that inflammatory responses, generated in many disease conditions, alter the expression and activity of the ABC drug efflux transporters in numerous tissues including the liver, kidney, intestine and blood brain barrier. This has the potential to alter the distribution and elimination of many clinically important drugs. Current studies are examining the regulation of drug transporters in the placenta. The placenta serves as a protective barrier for the fetus. Several ABC drug efflux transporters are highly expressed in the placenta and are believed to imit the passage of xenobiotics into the fetus; thereby altering fetal drug exposure. Many prevalent obstetric complications generate an inflammatory response and to date, virtually nothing is known about the impact of maternal disease on the regulation and activity of drug transporters. Therefore, our research group has begun to explore the influence of highly prevalent maternal complications on the ABC- drug transporters and predict how these changes may affect the placental transfer and fetal exposure of drugs used in pregnant women.

Another research direction of the laboratory has focused on examining methods to suppress the the ABC drug efflux transporters in tumor cells, a leading cause of multidrug resistance and drug failure in cancer. This has resulted in collaborative research programs with Dr. Christine Allen and Dr. Ray Reilly with the primary goal to develop novel therapeutics and treatment strategies in the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. 

Selected Publications

Ghoneim R, Kojovic D, Piquette-Miller M.   Impact of endotoxin on the expression of drug transporters in the placenta of HIV-1 transgenic rats. Eur. J. Pharm. Sci.; 102:94-102. (2017)

Ghoneim R, Piquette-Miller M. Impact of endotoxin on the hepatic expression of drug transporters in HIV-1 Transgenic rats. Drug Metab Dispos; 44:709-19. (2016)

Petrovic V, Piquette-Miller M.  Polyinosinic/Polycytidylic Acid-Mediated Changes in Maternal and Fetal Disposition of Lopinavir in Rats. Drug Metab Dispos. ; 43:951-7.  (2015)

Petrovic V, Kojovic D, Cressman A, Piquette-Miller M.   Maternal Bacterial Infections Impact Expression of Drug Transporters in Human Placenta. Int. Immunopharmacol . 26:349-56. (2015)

Cressman A, McDonald C, Silver K, Kain KC, Piquette-Miller M. Malaria infection alters the expression of hepatobiliary and placental drug transporters in pregnant mice. Drug Metab Dispos. 42:603-10. (2014)

Anger G,  Cressman A, Piquette-Miller M.  Placental ABC efflux transporter expression in pregnancies of women with  insulin-managed diabetes.  PLoS-ONE . 7 (4):e35027. (2012).

Gahir S, Piquette-Miller M. Gestational and  Pregnane X Receptor mediated regulation of  placental ABC drug transporters in mice.  Drug Metab Dispos;39:465-71 (2011).

Anger G,  Piquette-Miller M.  Mechanisms of reduced maternal and fetal lopinavir exposure in a rat model of gestational diabetes.  Drug Metab Dispos.;  39:1850-9.  (2011)

De Souza R, Zahedi P, Moriyama E, Allen C, Wilson B, Piquette-Miller M. Continuous docetaxel chemotherapy improves therapeutic efficacy in murine models of ovarian cancer.   Mol Cancer Ther.; 9(6):1820-30. (2010)

Petrovic V,  Wang J-H,  Piquette-Miller M. Effect of endotoxin on the expression of placental drug transporters and glyburide disposition in pregnant rats.  Drug Metab Dispos. 36:1944-50. (2008)

Teng S & Piquette-Miller M. The Involvement of PXR in Hepatic Gene Regulation During Inflammation.  J. Pharmacol. Exper. Therap.  312:841-8. (2005).

Wang J-H,  Teng S, Scollard D, Reilly R,  Piquette-Miller M. Detection of P-glycoprotein activity using 99mTC-sestamibi imaging in endotoxemic rats.   J. Nucl. Med; 46:1537-45. (2005).