Dhiren R Thakker
Professor Eshelman School of Pharmacy
The University of North Carolina USA
USA
Biography
Dr. Thakker is the Howard Q Ferguson Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean for Entrepreneurial Development and Global Engagement, and Director, Bill and Karen Campbell Faculty Mentoring Program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 1998 to 2008, he served as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education. Prior to joining UNC in 1996, Dr. Thakker spent (i) eight years at Glaxo Inc. where he was Director of Drug Metabolism Department, (ii) four years at the Center for Biologics, FDA, and (iii) eight years at the National Institutes of Health. He obtained Batchelor of Pharmacy from Bombay University, India, M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Columbia University, New York, and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Kansas at Lawrence. Dr. Thakker has published over 160 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters and co-edited two books. His current research interests are (i) mechanisms of drug transport across intestine, (ii) novel intestinal absorption mechanism and pharmacology of metformin as anti-diabetic and anti-cancer drug, and (iii) optimizing pediatric dosing by study of drug metabolism and transport in children and adults. In the past he has worked on mechanismbased design of intestinal absorption enhancers, stereo-selectivity of cytochrome P-450 enzymes, chemical carcinogenesis by metabolic activation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and catechol O-methyl transferase enzymology.
Research Interest
Mechanisms of drug transport; structure-transport relationships; prodrug strategies for tumor-targeting; metabolism of drugs and xenobiotics; delivery and disposition of macromolecules