Leo Buckley, PharmD

2022 Carl W. Gottschalk Research Scholar Grant

Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital Department of Pharmacy Services

Project Title: Immunoproteomic Response to Colchicine

How would you sum up your research in one sentence?

My research focuses on understanding both the on-target and off-target effects of drugs and their associated implications for the treatment of heart and kidney disease.

Provide a brief overview of the research you will conduct with help from the grant.

This grant will enable me to test the effects of colchicine, an established anti-inflammatory therapy, on important circulating and neutrophil-derived inflammatory proteins in people with chronic kidney disease and determine whether those proteins associate with the risk of heart and kidney disease.

What inspired you to focus your research in this area?

I am interested in methods to improve the medication development process and optimize the use of approved medications. I developed an interest in heart failure during my clinical training and an interest in the cross-talk between the heart and kidneys soon followed.

What impact do you hope your research will have on patients?

My hope is that this research will enable the development of new treatment options for people with heart and kidney disease and new methods for monitoring the efficacy and safety of those treatments.

What are your career goals at the end of the grant period? Five years out? Ten years out?

At the end of the grant period, I hope to be prepared to establish my own research program focusing on cardio-renal pharmacology. In the next five to ten years, I hope that some of our research findings have become poised to impact clinical care.

What has surprised you most about your career?

Research progress ebbs and flows. It takes a lot of work from many different research teams to establish the foundation of a new idea and, under the right circumstances and when the need arises, research progress seems to accelerate.

What advice would you give to others to encourage them to apply for this grant funding?

I would encourage prospective applicants to make sure that not only does the project address an important barrier in their field but also addresses an important barrier to their career progression. Conducting this project should set you up for the next stage in your career by adding a skill or two that are missing from your toolkit.

Something you may not know about me is…

I sometimes donate to animal shelters under my dog's name. He's become quite the philanthropist.

In my free time I like to…

Read, run, spend time with my wife and dog.

Follow on Twitter: @lfbpharmd