Each month, the editors of three of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutic’s (ASPET) journals choose who they call their Highlighted Trainee Authors. These early-career scientists are recognized for their innovative research published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, and Molecular Pharmacology. This feature showcases selected young scientists, demonstrates what drives them, and reveals why pharmacology is important to them. This month we are featuring the August 2025 Highlighted Trainee Authors.
Mengyue Li
Drug Metabolism and Disposition
Mengyue Li is a PhD candidate in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas. Li began her academic path in veterinary medicine, which provided her with a strong foundation in physiology and pharmacology across species. During her studies, she became fascinated by how drugs reach specific tissues and exert heir effect, which led her to pursue a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences, focusing on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Li aspires to become a pharmaceutical scientist in the DPMK field in the future.
Li’s research focuses on how the eye process drugs, how they are broken down and how they move across eye tissues. Because the eye has unique barriers that can limit drug efficacy, understanding these processes is key to designing better treatments.
One of the most rewarding moments in her research was when she successfully quantified the protein expression levels of CES1 and CES2 in rabbit eye tissues and linked their high expression to the rapid hydrolysis of CES substrates in the eye, which demonstrated the eye’s capacity for drug metabolism, and provided valuable insights for ocular drug design and development.
“I would say that my work aims to help bring safer, more effective, and more patient-compatible medicines to people with eye conditions,” Li explains. “I hope my work brings attention to extrahepatic drug metabolism. By characterizing how drug metabolizing-enzymes and drug transporters function in ocular tissues, I hope to improve our understanding of the drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion within the eye.”
For Li, having her work published in Drug Metabolism and Disposition “is a rewarding milestone for me, it recognizes the quality and significance of my research,” she shares. “As an active ASPET member, I also really appreciate the support this community provides to early-career scientists like me. This recognition motivates me to continue contributing to impactful research within this journal.”
Liang He
“I’ve always been fascinated by virus–host interactions, and during my undergrad I saw how basic discoveries could connect to real-world health solutions, which led me to pursue a PhD in cell biology. In my postdoc, my mentor Dr. Correia encouraged me to consider industry, where I realized I enjoy teamwork, problem-solving, and translating science into therapies that impact patients,” says Liang He, who is working as a Scientist at Frontage Laboratories.
In his current role, He’s near-term goal is to continue strengthening his expertise in assay development and translational research while contributing to high-quality and impactful projects. His long-term goal is to grow into a role that will allow him to mentor junior scientists and contribute to shaping strategy, while keeping patient impact at the center of his work.
He’s research focuses on how the liver manages certain proteins that help process fats and medicines. “We found that when this process is disrupted, the proteins can build up and form clumps, which can harm the liver or change how drugs are broken down. Understanding this helps us predict how the liver responds to medications and disease and could guide development of safer drugs or new treatments for liver conditions.”
For He, having his work published in Molecular Pharmacology is meaningful because it reflects the recognition from a respected scientific community and validates the quality of his work. “To me, it’s not only an accomplishment, but also a way to contribute to advancing the field and to share knowledge that could help to better understand the area.”