Laneshia K. Tague, MD, MSCI
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Associate Program Director for Research
- Phone: 314-273-7994
- Email: ltague@nospam.wustl.edu
Related Links
Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Medicine
Research Interests
Pharmacogenomics of Lung Transplantation: Pharmacogenetics involves the evaluation of two components of drug metabolism: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Pharmacokinetics involves the action of the body on the drug: dose-concentration relationship, half-life, metabolism and metabolites. We are actively investigating the pharmacogenetics of mycophenolic acid pharmacokinetics. We have discovered polymorphisms in the SLCO1B3 gene that significantly influence survival in lung transplant recipients. This gene is a gatekeeper for second pass metabolism in mycophenolic acid – these hypofunctional polymorphisms decrease overall MPA exposure be decreasing the secondary peak in MPA levels normally seen 6-8 hours after it is taken. We are currently conducting an advanced pharmacokinetics study that seeks to create a dosing tool that incorporates both clinical variables (age, sex, renal function, albumin levels, etc) and genotype of SLCO1B3 to produce more consistent MPA exposure. Additionally, we are conducting a prospective study to evaluate the relationship between MPA levels and clinical outcomes after transplantation with the goal of identifying a target therapeutic range that maximizes survival and minimizes adverse drug effects. The other aspect of pharmacogenetics is pharmacodynamics: the effect the drug has on the body. The immunosuppression agents administered to lung transplant recipients target proliferation of lymphocytes (via IMPDH inhibition, the rate-limited step in de novo purine synthesis), however, they are also associated with adverse hematopoietic outcomes such as cytopenias (specifically neutropenia) and hematopoietic malignancies. We hypothesize that these agents influence hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and increase somatic mutation burden through the process of clonal hematopoiesis. We are currently evaluating how the different agents influence clonal hematopoiesis to cause expansion of clonal populations of cells that harbor certain somatic mutations which put them at increased risk of subsequent hematopoietic (neutropenia or malignancy) or non-hematopoietic (cardiovascular disease, allograft rejection) complications after lung transplantation. Near future is to help advance and meld emerging knowledge in COPD and lung transplantation.
View Dr. Tague’s investigator lab page here.
Education and Training
- 2007-2011 MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
- 2011-2014 Residency, Internal Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
- 2014-2017 Fellowship, Pulmonary and Critical Care- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- 2016-2017 MD, Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Honors and Awards
- 2018 Pulmonary Research Day, Clinical Research Poster First Place Travel Award, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Washington University
- 2018 ISHLT Transplant Registry Early Career Award
- 2014 American Thoracic Society – Fellow Bootcamp Scholarship Recipient
- 2014 Second Place, Resident Research Day Abstract Competition, Loyola University
- 2013 Second Place, Poster Competition, ACP-IL Chapter, Northern Region
- 2013 NIH-NMA Careers in Academic Medicine Summer Research Fellow, Travel Award
- 2013 American Thoracic Society Minority Trainee Development Scholarship Recipient
- 2012 First Place, St. Albert’s Day Clinical and Epidemiologic Research Oral Competition
- 2007-2008 Provident Foundation Medical Student Scholar
- 2004-2009 National Campaign for African-American Achievement Scholar, National Urban League