Research activities

Current research activities include: application of stochastic control theory to the design of optimal dosage regimens; improved methods for population pharmacokinetic modeling; investigation of process and measurement noise in the clinical environment; evaluation of alternative parameterizations of pharmacokinetic models; optimal monitoring strategies for pharmacokinetic studies, clinical trials, and patient care; and development of clinically reliable interfaces and apparatus for delivering complex drug infusion regimens.

RESEARCH FACILITIES

Software is available for use in pharmacokinetics research applications. Current computer programs include:

• BOXES: A program package for simulation and parameter estimation, in linear and non-linear pharmacokinetic systems.

• The USC*PACK clinical package
  : A PC program package for clinical use in planning, monitoring, and adjusting dosage regimens of digoxin, digitoxin, aminoglycoside antibiotics, lidocaine, procainamide, vancomycin, theophylline, trimethoprim, and other drugs. These programs can interface with infusion apparatus for automated delivery of complex infusion protocols.

• The IT2Band NPEM2 programs
  for Population Modeling of Drug Behavior. They use iterative 2-stage Bayesian method and a nonparametric EM algorithm for computing the discrete joint frequency or probability density of the parameters in pharmacokinetic models.

• MMLQ
  : A Multiple Model Linear Quadratic control program which designs dosage regimens to minimize a therapeutic cost function, thus optimizing therapeutic precision about a specific selected therapeutic goal. It takes into account arbitrary process and measurement uncertainties inherent in the clinical environment of drug therapy. It uses the NPEM2 population model for the Bayesian prior.

• Maximum Entropy programs
  develop a discrete joint density from lidocaine data of parameter means and variances, fir use with the MMLQ dosage designer.

• BOXES
  : A program package for simulation and parameter estimation, in linear and non-linear pharmacokinetic systems.

COLLABORATIVE AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES

The software and facilities can be made available, with approval, to researchers for collaborative projects or as a technical service.