Big news from the academic world as Deanna Kroetz, the dean of the College of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University, has just made a leap into one of the health field's most esteemed circles. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has officially welcomed her into their 2025 class of inductees. Kroetz, who also serves as a professor of pharmaceutics and pharmacology, is to be recognized not only for her groundbreaking discoveries in pharmacogenetics—like pinpointing genetic markers that can predict drug reactions—but also for her unparalleled dedication to mentoring upcoming scientists. "Mentoring has always been a key component of what I do, because I have always been involved in graduate education," Kroetz affirmed in a statement obtained by the Ohio State University News.
Founded back in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, NAM stands as one of the three academies embodying the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine—a group that prides itself on shaping U.S. and global health policies for decades now. The Vice President for Research at Ohio State, John M. Horack, didn't hesitate to express his excitement about Kroetz's induction, noting the Academy's pivotal role and his thrill to see her join such an elite community of scholars. Kroetz aims to use this new position to contribute actively to national health discussions and ensure pharmacy retains a strong voice in the mix.
Her research, often described as "bedside to bench," involves bringing real-world clinical problems back to the lab to untangle their molecular mysteries. A focal point of her career revolves around the so-called ABC transporters—proteins that recognize and remove drugs from target sites, often leading to reduced drug effectiveness and unintended damage. Kroetz delved into the genes that control these transporters, with the goal of creating agents that can inhibit their actions effectively.
One significant health concern tied to ABC transporters is chemotherapy-induced sensory peripheral neuropathy, a condition causing pain and loss of function in extremities among patients. To address this, Kroetz's lab has conducted extensive genome-wide association studies to identify genetic contributors to this adverse side effect, hoping eventually to understand fully and mitigate the neurotoxicity involved. The inception of her research in the early days of human genetics has led to advancements opening the door for today's rapid genomic sequencing, as was funded by the National Institutes of Health for 15 years, she informed the Ohio State University News.
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