Translational Neuropharmacology Group

Group Leader

• Qing Ma, University at Buffalo (more)

Collaborators and Expertise

• David Haas, Vanderbilt University, Pharmacogenomics (more)
• Scott Letendre, University of California San Diego, Infectious Disease, Neurocognitive Disorders (more)
• Supriya Mahajan, University at Buffalo, Neuroimmunology (more)
• Giovanni Schifitto, University of Rochester, Neuroimaging (more)
  
• Bing Su, University at Buffalo, Substance Use Disorder, Toxicology (more)
• Charles Venuto, University of Rochester, Clinical Pharmacology (more)

We focus on pharmacological mechanisms underlying HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and mental health issues, as well as the optimization and development of pharmacological interventions potentially used to treat these conditions.

• Neurological disorders in the elderly have been identified as a critical challenge in the context of HIV infection. HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders affect up to 70% of HIV-infected individuals and is associated with a lower quality of life and a serious threat to human health. Even though the development of potent antiretroviral therapy is considered one of the greatest accomplishments of medicine which greatly extended the life expectancy, in the past two decades, there has been a marked increase in the incidence of neurological disorders among people living with HIV. Unfortunately, there is a remarkable lack of understanding of the pathogenesis or a strategy to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Importantly, research on neurological comorbidities and substance use disorders has become a priority.

• Our focus has been an integrated approach to address this very difficult problem involving translational pharmacology, neurocognitive assessment, genetics, and pharmacokinetics to optimize the beneficial effects of combination antiretroviral therapy in the central nervous system and apply our experiences to the development of new regimens for treatment and prevention of neurological complications of HIV.  These questions are being addressed in the laboratory and small clinical trials, however, the results cannot be extrapolated to a more complex patient population. The gaps between the drug development literature and clinical practice serve as a continuous stimulus for translational research. Given the multiple challenges faced by people living with HIV as they age, there are numerous opportunities for optimizing anti-HIV medication use and treatment outcomes.

• Major clinical studies: Elvitegravir Cerebrospinal Fluid Pharmacokinetics in HIV-Infected Individuals  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02251236

Connections to the ACTG Neurology Collaborative Science Group

• Translational Neuropharmacology Group members have served the ACTG Neurology Collaborative Science Group and other Groups as the Chair,  Investigators, and Pharmacologists.

• Major clinical studies: Integrase and Maraviroc Intensification in Neurocognitive Dysfunction (InMIND) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02519777

Connections to the Center for Health + Technology (CHeT)

• Translational Neuropharmacology Group members serve the CHeT as faculty members.  
• Major clinical studies: Large-scale identification of clinical and genetic predictors of motor progression in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease: a longitudinal cohort study and validation  https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30328-9

Learn more about the group here: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/health-technology.aspx

• Benzodiazepine Use Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Neurocognitive Impairment in People Living With HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2019;82(5):475-482.
• Correlates of HIV RNA concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid during antiretroviral therapy: a longitudinal cohort study. Lancet HIV. 2019;6(7):e456-e462. 
• Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS assay for tenofovir and tenofovir alafenamide in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018;156:163-169.
• Race/Ethnicity and the Pharmacogenetics of Reported Suicidality With Efavirenz Among Clinical Trials Participants. J Infect Dis. 2017;216:554-564. 
• Combination antiretroviral therapy improves cognitive performance and functional connectivity in treatment-naïve HIV-infected individuals. J Neurovirol. 2017;23(5):704-712. 
  
• Long-term efavirenz use is associated with worse neurocognitive functioning in HIV-infected patients. J Neurovirol. 2016;22:170-8.