Melanie Nicol, PharmD, PhD

Expertise

HIV and Opportunistic Infections
HIV/AIDS
Clinical Pharmacology
Women's Health
Drug Metabolism and Transport

Awards & Recognition

Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health Research Scholar

Professional Associations

Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists
American Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
American College of Clinical Pharmacy

Research Summary

Our research efforts are focused on identifying factors that influence the efficacy of antivirals (and other anti-infectives) in tissue compartments. We are working to describe the penetration of drugs used to treat HIV and related infections into tissue compartments such as the genitals, brain, and lymph tissue. There is a paucity of data on the factors that modulate drug efficacy in tissue compartments yet drug distribution to these tissues is critically important for HIV prophylaxis, suppression of viral shedding, and eradication of viral reservoirs. Our translational lab uses a variety of research approaches with projects spanning in vitro, ex vivo, and clinical studies. We have active studies in both Minnesota as well as Kampala, Uganda.

Teaching

Teaching Areas

Antivirals; Pharmacotherapy of Infectious Disease

Courses

PHAR 6768: Infectious Disease

Nicol MR, Brewers LM, Kashuba ADM, Sykes DC. Role of menopause in tenofovir diphosphate and emtricitabine triphosphate concentrations in cervical tissue. AIDS. 2018;32 (1):11-5. PMID: 29112071.

Nicol MR, Emerson CW, Fedoriw Y, Nelson JA, Sykes DC, Geller EJ, Prince HA, Patterson KB, Cohen M, Kashuba ADM. Models for Predicting Effective HIV Chemoprevention in Women. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2015 Apr; 68(4):369-376.

Thompson CG, Sedykh A, Nicol MR, Muratov E, Fourches D, Tropsha A, Kashuba ADM. Cheminformatics Analysis to Identify Predictors of Antiviral Drug Penetration into the Female Genital Tract. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2014 Nov; 30 (11):1058-64.

Nicol MR, Fedoriw Y, Mathews M, Prince HMA, Patterson KB, Geller E, Mollan K, Mathews S, Kroetz DL, Kashuba ADM. Expression of Six Drug Transporters in Vaginal, Cervical, and Colorectal Tissues: Implications for Drug Disposition in HIV Prevention. J Clin Pharmacol 2014 May; 54(5):574-83

Nicol MR, Adams JL, Kashuba ADM. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis trials: the road to success. Clin Invest. 2013 March; 3(3): 295-308.

Dumond JB, Nicol MR, Kendrick RN, Garonzik SM, Patterson KB, Cohen MS, Forrest AF, Kashuba ADM. Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Efavirenz, Atazanavir, Lamivudine, and Tenofovir in the Female Genital Tract of HIV-Infected Pre-Menopausal Women. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2012 Dec;51(12):809-22.

Nicol MR, Kashuba ADM. Pharmacologic Opportunities for HIV Prevention. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Nov;88(5):598-609.