Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence
The Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence is a consortium of investigators with wide scientific expertise in Pharmacometrics, Clinical Pharmacology, and Drug Design. Our investigators have broad expertise in pre-clinical through post-marketing studies.
³ûÄñÊÓƵ the MWUPCE
The ³ûÄñÊÓƵ Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence (MWUPCE) partners strong faculty knowledge base in computer modeling of drug efficacy and toxicity with wet-lab analytic approaches. Together, the group is highly expert conducting pre-clinical through post-marketing studies. The Center builds on the existing synergies in the University's Core Facilities.
Learn more about the Downers Grove Core Research Facility
Mission
The mission of the MWUPCE is to:
- Design innovative strategies that maximize safe and effective pharmacotherapy for patients
- Develop the next generation of translational clinicians and scientists through advanced pharmacometric education.
Meet the Investigators
Dr. Andurkar serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Auburn University, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Houston, Department of Chemistry. Dr. Andurkar has more than 25 years of experience in the design, synthesis, isolation and purification, structural elucidation, drug metabolism, and pharmacological studies of bioactive molecules. His current research interests are in the design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of novel analgesics and antiepileptic agents, as well as the study of novel synthetic organic chemical methodologies, stereoselective synthesis, and evaluating the impact of stereochemistry on biological activity. He serves as scientific advisor to Aagami Inc., and Pharmazz Inc.
Dr. Sylwia Marianski is an Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy fellow at ³ûÄñÊÓƵ and a member of the Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from ³ûÄñÊÓƵ College of Pharmacy in 2023. Following that, she completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Endeavor Health Hospital, where she continues to practice clinically. Dr. Marianski’s research interests include the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-infective agents. Professionally, she is interested in strategies to overcome antimicrobial drug resistance and bacterial pathogenesis. She actively participates in a wide range of activities, such as pharmacokinetic modeling of antibiotics and holds positions on multiple committees for infectious disease pharmacy organizations. Upon completion of her fellowship, she is interested in pursuing a career in academia or the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Rhodes is an Associate Professor and member of the ³ûÄñÊÓƵ Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence. He currently practices as an Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship pharmacist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago. Dr. Rhodes's interests include anti-infective pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. His research is primarily focused on clarifying the antimicrobial-exposure-response profiles in pre-clinical and translational models. His research program also seeks to evaluate how contemporary antimicrobial utilization influences resistance and clinical outcomes. He is actively engaged in infectious diseases organizations and serves as a reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals and funding organizations.
Dr. Adrian Valadez is a Postdoctoral fellow at ³ûÄñÊÓƵ and a member of the Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence. His focus is on quantitating beta-lactam antibiotic pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD). He is enthusiastic about further exploring opportunities within the realm of Infectious Disease research, PK/PD modeling, academia, and pharmaceutical industry. Currently, he is engaged with multiple laboratory methodologies including LC-MS/MS assay development, and population pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation using cutting edge software programs such as Pmetrics and Monolix to analyze drug behavior within the body.
