U of U PhD Grad Receives Prestigious Award
Marysol Almestica-Roberts, 2023 PhD graduate from the U of U Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, has been awarded the prestigious James R. Gillette Drug Metabolism and Disposition Best Paper of 2024 for her manuscript, “The Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C8*3 Variant (rs11572080) is Associated with Improved Asthma Symptom Control in Children and Altered Lipid Mediator Production and Inflammatory Response in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells.”
This work described an association between a CYP2C8 enzyme variant and improved asthma symptom control in children, arising in part by shifting the balance of pro- vs. anti-inflammatory lipid mediator production in lung epithelial cells. This research was part of Dr. Almestica-Robert’s PhD project with mentor, Dr. Christopher Reilly, and has far-reaching implications for the management and treatment of asthma, particularly in pediatric patients.
Marysol’s studies were supported in part by 2020-21 Kuramoto and 2021-22 Skaggs Fellowships from the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, a diversity supplement award associated with NIGMS grant GM121648, and NIEHS grant ES017431.
Marysol’s work will be showcased during the upcoming ASPET Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, on April 3-6, 2025, where she will present her paper on Sunday morning, April 6, 2025.