University of Washington-Seattle Campus · PharmacologyMaternal-Fetal Transport Research Lab
Joanne Wang · Seattle, Washington
Research Focus
Dr. Joanne Wang's lab at the University of Washington focuses on understanding how nutrients and drugs are transported from the mother to the fetus through key organs like the placenta and developing gut. They study the protein transporters that facilitate this process and their role in protecting the developing brain and body of neonates and infants. The research aims to shed light on how these transport proteins affect the safety and effectiveness of medications and nutrients during early development.
placentatransportersfetal brainnutrient absorptionxenobioticsblood-brain barrierproteomicsinfant developmentdrug efficacyneonates
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify and quantify transporter proteins in the human placenta and developing gut.
AIM 02Characterize the function of transporters involved in nutrient and drug absorption in neonates.
AIM 03Determine how transport proteins protect the brain from harmful substances during development.
AIM 04Assess the implications of transporter activity for drug efficacy in vulnerable populations.
AIM 05Establish a comprehensive database of transporter profiles in early human development.
Skills the Lab Values
quantitative proteomicsimmunohistochemistrycell cultureplacental perfusioniPSC-derived modelsex vivo studiestransfectiondrug toxicity assessmentWestern blotorganotypic cultures
Output against the department
Publications70bottom 14% of dept.397th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations3.9kbottom 30% of dept.324th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.