Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Tong, Weida (ORCID:0000000334886148)

Publications and source records attributed to Tong, Weida (ORCID:0000000334886148).

Drug-induced kidney injury: challenges and opportunities

Abstract Drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) is a frequently reported adverse event, associated with acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal failure. Prospective cohort studies on acute injuries suggest a frequency of around 14%–26% in adult populations and a significant concern in pediatrics with a frequency of 16% being attributed to a drug. In drug discovery and development, renal injury accounts for 8 and 9% of preclinical and clinical failures, respectively, impacting multiple therapeutic areas. Currently, the standard biomarkers for identifying DIKI are serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. However, both markers lack the sensitivity and specificity to detect nephrotoxicity prior to a significant loss of renal function. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of alternative methods to reliably predict drug-induced kidney injury (DIKI) in early drug discovery. In this article, we discuss various aspects of DIKI and how it is assessed in preclinical models and in the clinical setting, including the challenges posed by translating animal data to humans. We then examine the urinary biomarkers accepted by both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency for monitoring DIKI in preclinical studies and on a case-by-case basis in clinical trials. We also review new approach methodologies (NAMs) and how they may assist in developing novel biomarkers for DIKI that can be used earlier in drug discovery and development.

Connor, Skylar (ORCID:0000000233479180)↗

A systematic analysis and data mining of opioid-related adverse events submitted to the FAERS database

The opioid epidemic has become a serious national crisis in the United States. An indepth systematic analysis of opioid-related adverse events (AEs) can clarify the risks presented by opioid exposure, as well as the individual risk profiles of specific opioid drugs and the potential relationships among the opioids. In this study, 92 opioids were identified from the list of all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs, annotated by RxNorm and were classified into 13 opioid groups: buprenorphine, codeine, dihydrocodeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, tapentadol, and tramadol. A total of 14,970,399 AE reports were retrieved and downloaded from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004, Quarter 1 to 2020, Quarter 3. After data processing, Empirical Bayes Geometric Mean (EBGM) was then applied which identified 3317 pairs of potential risk signals within the 13 opioid groups. Based on these potential safety signals, a comparative analysis was pursued to provide a global overview of opioid-related AEs for all 13 groups of FDA-approved prescription opioids. The top 10 most reported AEs for each opioid class were then presented. Both network analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were conducted to further explore the relationship between opioids. Results from the network analysis revealed a close association among fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, which shared more than 22 AEs. In addition, much less commonly reported AEs were shared among dihydrocodeine, meperidine, oxymorphone, and tapentadol. On the contrary, the hierarchical clustering analysis further categorized the 13 opioid classes into two groups by comparing the full profiles of presence/absence of AEs. The results of network analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis were not only consistent and cross-validated each other but also provided a better and deeper understanding of the associations and relationships between the 13 opioid groups with respect to their adverse effect profiles.

Research & Experimental Medicine↗