The area of Pharmacology of Drug Transporters of the Pharmacological Research Institute (ININFA) is composed of two developing groups that study several lines involved in the regulation of drug transporters belonging to the ABC family (Adenosine Binding Cassette) and its impact on the pharmacokinetics of drugs of clinical relevance. ATP-dependent membrane transporters are widely distributed and evolutionarily conserved proteins that participate in physiological detoxification processes by exporting out metabolites and toxins from cells.

The study of the regulation and functioning of these transporters is very important because their location in polarized epithelia (intestine, liver and kidney) and in membranes that preserve highly sensitive structures (blood-brain barrier, hematotesticular and placenta) modulate the absorption, distribution and drug elimination. In turn, these molecules are linked to drug multiresistance (MDR) phenomena that decrease the sensitivity of both normal and tumor tissues to chemotherapy.

Our goal is to provide knowledge to optimize different types of therapies in order to avoid tissue concentrations of drugs outside the therapeutic window that can produce toxic effects or decrease therapeutic efficacy, to promote or control the elimination of toxins and to avoid or overcome the phenomena of drug resistance.

At the same time, the laboratory carries out these studies in collaboration with different groups of the national and international scientific sector through academic-scientific collaborations.