Richard D. Beger, MS, PhD, is the recipient of the 2016 SOT Translational Impact Award. Dr. Beger is the Branch Chief for the Biomarkers and Alternative Models Branch, part of the Division of Systems Biology, at the US Food and Drug Administration National Center for Toxicological Research (FDA NCTR). He is an internationally recognized leader in toxicology, using computational modeling, metabolomics, and proteomics to develop translational approaches to improve drug safety, disease detection/management, and human health. He will deliver the Translational Impact Award Lecture on Wednesday, March 16, 2016, from 5:00 pm–5:50 pm, Room R08, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Richard D. Beger Receives 2016 SOT Translational Impact Award
Toward advancing the use of computational modeling, Dr. Beger is the primary co-inventor on two patents describing a novel quantitative spectrometric data-activity relationship (QSDAR) modeling technique. In collaboration with many global researchers, this approach has been used to investigate compounds that bind to the estrogen receptor; the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, drugs that cause phospholipidosis and inhibit human Ether-à-go-go Related Gene (hERG); and polypharmacy by looking at inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. These models are proving to have an impact on predictive drug development and chemical safety assessment.
In the area of metabolomic biomarker discovery, Dr. Beger has made groundbreaking strides in several areas of concern. In preclinical models of kidney toxicity, he conducted studies that observed the effects of drugs (cisplatin and gentamicin) and food adulterants (melamine and cyanuric acid) on kidney tissue in rodents. In collaboration with other scientists, Dr. Beger conducted two human metabolomic studies. The first identified early biomarkers in children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. The second study explored the serum of patients with acute renal injury. Biomarkers from previous preclinical rodent studies were found altered here and new biomarkers were identified.
Similarly, Dr. Beger has pursued translational metabolomics biomarkers in hepatotoxicity in both animal models and human studies. Preclinical studies on drugs (valproic acid, acetaminophen, felbamate), chemicals (carbon tetrachloride), and dietary supplements (green tea) showed altered metabolite levels in biofluids and/or tissues preceding obvious liver injury and during damage. In collaboration with other scientists at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, metabolomics studies have been done in biofluids of children without exposure to acetaminophen, upon therapeutic treatment, and in acetaminophen overdose situations. These studies found metabolic changes that translated between the preclinical and clinical studies.
Because of the diverse collaborative relationships including government regulators, discovery- and development-focused investigators, and clinicians, Dr. Beger has advanced the field of translational toxicology and medicine and actively pursued the identification of biomarkers that improve the assessment of drug safety and the individualized delivery of patient care.