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Research Interests:
His research interests are in elucidating mechanisms of protein
and drug disposition, and genetic basis of inter-individual variation
in therapeutic responses. Fundamental understanding of these physio-
and biological processes form the basis of the focus of Dr. Ho's
research in developing drug delivery strategies for treatment of
AIDS and cancers using drugs, DNA, proteins and antigens. All the
research programs in his laboratory have the common goal of delivering
therapeutic compounds of interest to select target tissues or cells
to enhance drug safety and/or efficacy.
Biography:
Dr. Ho is Associate Dean, Milo Gibaldi Endowed Professor of Pharmaceutics
and Director of the DNA Sequencing and Gene Analysis Center at University
of Washington, Seattle. He also holds appointments at Clinical Pharmacology,
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Center for AIDS and
STD Research, the Center for Human Development and Disability, the
Center for Ecogenetics at University of Washington, and the Washington
National Primate Research Center. Dr. Ho received his undergraduate
degree from the University of California, Davis in 1983, and received
his master and Ph.D. in 1985 and 1987, from the University of Tennessee
focusing on biochemistry and drug targeting. His post-doctoral fellowship
focused on infectious diseases at the Division of Infectious Diseases,
Stanford University School of Medicine, before joining the University
of Washington, School of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor in December
1990. Dr. Ho was promoted to associate professor with tenure in
1996 and full professor rank in 2002. In 2003, he founded the DNA
Sequence and Gene Analysis Center and serves as the Director for
the Center. He was honored to receive funding notice from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) within 3 months of his arrival at UW.
As a principal investigator, he leads multiple interdisciplinary
biomedical research programs in HIV/AIDS and cancer focusing on
novel strategies to improve drug effectiveness and safety. He enjoys
continuous support from NIH totaling over $ 12 M. Dr. Ho is an elected
fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
and an elected chair of the American Association for the Advancement
of Sciences. His creativity and accomplishments are also recognized
by peers at the national level, as he is invited to serve on expert
NIH panels chartered to review grant proposals submitted to the
National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Cancer
Institute, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases. His outstanding contributions to the biomedical sciences
focus on improving anti-HIV and cancer drug effectiveness and safety.
His noted research in elucidation of physio- and biological processes
involved in virus and drug disposition forms the basis for developing
novel drug-delivery strategies. His research intended to addresses
HIV hide-out was highlighted in a recently published manuscript,
which demonstrated drug insufficiency in lymph nodes of HIV patients
on drug combination therapy, and acknowledged success in developing
a novel drug delivery strategy to improve drug exposure in lymphoid
tissues. This proof-of-principle research was also noted by lay
press, including Reuters news. One current area of emphasis involves
identification and functional characterization of novel genetic
variants of ABCB1, the gene encoding the drug transporter P-glycoprotein
(Pgp), in patients with leukemia. The P-glycoprotein is also known
as the drug resistance protein that reduces effectiveness of many
cancer drugs. An underlying principle of this work is the understanding
that natural selection of variants of drug disposition genes in
mutated cancer cells leads to drug resistance. Understanding the
genetic nature or pharmacogenetics of drug resistance may allow
patient-focused therapies to enhance treatment outcomes. Dr. Ho
is a passionate teacher who is willing to share his drug delivery
and targeting expertise with undergraduate, professional, and graduate
students as well as post-doctoral fellows and visiting scientists.
He provides a positive environment to strengthen and encourage others
to take interest in biomedical sciences. He also assists pharmaceutical
and biotechnology companies in developing and improving drug formulation
and targeting strategies. In addition to research, his significant
contributions to the pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences include
the book entitled, “Biotechnology and Biopharmaceuticals: Transforming
Proteins and Genes into Drugs,” which he co-authored with Dr. Milo
Gibaldi. This book, which presents the first-ever effort to provide
insight into how biologic and recombinant molecules are developed
from a concept to a therapeutic product, as well as how these new
therapeutic modalities are used in treatments, has become a key
resource for students in professional schools, clinicians, and researchers
in pharmaceutical companies. A Chinese edition of this book is now
available. In recognition of his accomplishments and his ability
to bring together outstanding scientists across disciplines to build
top-rated interdisciplinary research programs in cancer and AIDS
therapies, the committee appointed by Dean Nelson has unanimously
endorsed Dr. Ho to be the recipient of the Milo Gibaldi Endowed
Professorship in Pharmaceutics. This recognition and honor is particularly
significant to Dr. Ho as it is the first endowed professorship established
at the UW School of Pharmacy, and he and Dr. Gibaldi had spent countless
hours working together on the above mentioned book project. Dr.
Ho’s accomplishments include 6 patents and numerous patent disclosures,
over 90 original research publications, 20 book chapters; and two
edited books.
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