Dr. Giacomini’s research focuses on the pharmacogenetics of membrane transporters, which play a major role in drug disposition and response. She is leading an effort to understand the implications of genetic variation in over 100 membrane transporters on clinical drug response. Studies include a focus on the anti-diabetic drug metformin and on anti-cancer drugs, have demonstrated that common variants of membrane transporters contribute to variation in drug response. Ultimately, the information obtained from these studies will be used in personalizing drug therapy and to design drugs to better treat subsets of patients who do not respond to standard treatments.