Dr. Ikumi Tamai is a Professor in Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan. He received his B.S. from Kanazawa University and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The University of Tokyo. He started his research on the carrier-mediated transports of drugs and spent two years as Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Chicago and University of Michigan
for studies on P-glycoprotein and intestinal drug absorption and transporters, respectively. Then, he was appointed as assistant professor and associate professor in Kanazawa University. In 2002, he moved to Tokyo University of Science as Professor in Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and he is in current Kanazawa University since 2008. His research has focused on membrane transporters that determine pharmacokinetic properties of drugs as well as physiological compounds such as uric acid and carnitine. He has contributed to the researches on (1) the role of P-glycoprotein as the BBB firstly published in 1992, (2) characterization of PEPT1 and intestinal absorption of peptide mimetics, (3) molecular cloning and physiological and pharmacological roles of OCTNs, (4) the roles of OATP transporters for intestinal absorption as well as hepatic disposition of drugs, and (5) regulation mechanism of serum uric acid through transporters and drug-induced hyperuricemia and is serving as councilor of Japanese Society of Gout and Uric & Nucleic Acid. He published more than 300 original articles related to above topics. He served as a member of board of directors of ISSX and JSSX. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) and is currently an associate editor of Biopharmaceutics and Drug Disposition (BDD) and Editor of Pharmaceutical Research (Pharm Res)