About

Rodney JY Ho is a professor and presidential entrepreneurial fellow at the University of Washington, with appointments at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He is the founding Executive Director of the Washington Entrepreneurial Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (WE-REACH), a NIH-designated National Hub. Dr. Ho's research focuses on bio-nanotechnology and bio-pharmaceuticals, enabling the transformation of basic biomedical discoveries into therapeutics. His work emphasizes innovations in targeted and drug combination synchronous delivery, with a particular focus on treatments for cancer and infectious diseases of pandemic potential. Key areas include systems approaches to drug delivery and targeting, development of long-acting and targeted therapeutics such as anti-retroviral therapies for HIV/AIDS, and studies on drug and lipid or biomaterial interactions to enhance drug potency and safety. He is recognized for his expertise in bio-therapeutics, lipid-drug interactions, liposomes, drug-combination nanoparticles, pharmacokinetics, and the interplay between tissue targets and drug penetration, leading to improved efficacy and safety of viral, cancer, and pain medications. Dr. Ho has served in leadership roles including Associate Dean for Research and New Initiatives, and he is actively involved in national and international initiatives related to cancer and HIV therapeutics. His contributions to pharmaceutical sciences and systems pharmacology have earned him numerous honors, including election to the National Academy of Innovators and fellowships in the AAAS and AAPS.

Research topics

• Chemistry
• Cancer research
• Pharmacology
• Biology
• Biophysics
• Biochemistry
• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Materials science
• Biotechnology
• Optics
• Oncology
• Nanotechnology

Selected publications

• Gadolinium Nanoparticle with Blood Pool Properties for Whole Body MRA to Support 60-Minute Image Acquisition Time

  Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition · 2025-09-16

  article

  Motivation: Develop a blood pool MRA contrast agent that provides exceptional vascular images. Goal(s): Demonstrate that a lipid nanoparticle containing gadolinium (HMRI-101) prolongs useful image acquisition times with 1.5 or 3T MRIs. Approach: Comparing varying doses of HMRI-101 with small molecule gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in rat, pig and primate MRA models. Results: HMRI-101 provided whole body high resolution MRA images up to 60 minutes at standard field strength and was excreted via the liver, bile, feces. By comparison, other GBCAs provided images up to 10 minutes and were excreted via the kidney. Impact: A blood pool lipid-based GBCA allows superior vascular images at 1.5 or 3T. Lower doses of gadolinium and route of excretion are of potential safety benefit, and longer imaging times provide greater flexibility and expanded radiological applications.

  PublisherDOI

• Novel liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous detection of three anti-HIV drugs tenofovir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir in plasma

  Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · 2025-07-25

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Long-acting Injectable Containing Lopinavir Eliminates Reliance on Ritonavir Pharmacokinetic Enhancement

  The Journal of Infectious Diseases · 2025-06-24 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  High-extraction protease inhibitors (eg, for human immunodeficiency virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) typically require ritonavir to enhance bioavailability by overcoming first-pass metabolism. However, in the long-acting subcutaneous injectable dosage form TLC-ART 101, lopinavir persisted in plasma for 57 days, while ritonavir was detectable for only 3-7 days. The remarkable duration of lopinavir suggests that ritonavir may be unnecessary in long-acting injectable products, potentially reducing side effects and drug-drug interactions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abstract 1846: Enhancing chemoimmunotherapy of metastatic TNBC through potent and immunomodulatory drug combination nanoparticles

  Cancer Research · 2025-04-21

  article

  Abstract Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most challenging subtype to treat due to the lack of hormone or HER2 receptors. Current guidelines for metastatic TNBC recommend a combination of pembrolizumab with chemotherapy for patients with PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10). To enhance the efficacy of existing regimens, we previously reported that water soluble gemcitabine (G) and insoluble paclitaxel (T) can be stabilized with lipid excipients and a novel process into drug combination nanoparticle suspension (GT-in-DcNPs, ∼60 nm) capable of co-delivering both drugs to the tumor. We demonstrated that a single IV dosing of GT-in-DcNP, but not soluble form, inhibited lung metastasis of 4T1 in mouse by nearly 100%. In this study, we hypothesized that GT-in-DCNPs not only improve tumor inhibition compared to free GT, but also increase PD-L1 expression in the primary tumor and reduce myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), thereby sensitizing tumors to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Consequently, combining antibody therapy with GT-in-DcNPs could further improve therapeutic outcomes. Our in vitro studies showed that free G or T increased PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression in 4T1 TNBC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. When the drugs were combined in G-to-T molar ratios of 30:1 to 1:1, PD-L1 mRNA levels were upregulated by 4- to 5-fold after 24 hours. Under static cellular incubations, GT-in-DcNPs and free GT counterpart produced a similar impact on PD-L1 upregulation. We further investigated orthotopic 4T1 tumoral PD-L1 upregulation in BALB/c mice. Six days after a single IV dose of 35/3.5 mg/kg GT-in-DcNP (∼30:1 molar ratio) but not free GT elevated PD-L1 mRNA expression in tumor by ∼70%. In a preliminary efficacy study with the orthotopic 4T1 model (∼100 mm3), a single GT-in-DcNP (35/3.5 mg GT, IV, day 0) and anti-PD-L1 antibody (100 μg, IP, day 6) combination exhibited significant tumor growth reduction (168%) than the GT-in-DcNP or free drug treatment (248% and 265%, respectively; n = 8, p < 0.05), by day 12. Flow cytometry analysis of tumor and spleen cell suspensions revealed that MDSC populations (Gr-1+ CD11b+) in both tissues were reduced by GT-in-DcNPs on day 6 post-treatment, whereas no changes were observed in the free drug groups. Furthermore, the spleen CD8+ T cell population on day 12 was increased by 65% in DcNP-antibody combination group compared to free GT-antibody combination group (p < 0.05). Overall, these data suggest that GT-in-DcNP treatment elevates PD-L1 expression in 4T1 TNBC cells in vitro and in vivo and reduces MDSC populations in vivo, and its combination with PD-L1 antibody enhances tumor inhibition beyond that achievable by GT in conventional dosage form. Thus inclusion of GT-in-DcNP with immune checkpoint inhibitor against PD-L1 may provide additional benefits. Citation Format: Caroline B. Linde, Xiaolin Xu, Rodney J. Ho, Mary L. Disis, Qingxin Mu. Enhancing chemoimmunotherapy of metastatic TNBC through potent and immunomodulatory drug combination nanoparticles [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 1846.

  PublisherDOI

• Classification system proposed to guide the design, development, regulatory approval, and scaling of long acting, small- and macro-molecule parenteral products (CS-BLAP)

  Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · 2025-11-06 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Military Medicine Outside Four Walls

  Physician Assistant Clinics · 2024-01-21

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Hit in the Head

  Physician Assistant Clinics · 2024-10-04

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Physiologically based Pharmacokinetic Model Validated to Enable Predictions Of Multiple Drugs in a Long-acting Drug-combination Nano-Particles (DcNP): Confirmation with 3 HIV Drugs, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, and Tenofovir in DcNP Products

  Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · 2024-02-20 · 10 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Inoculation of Pan02 cells produces tumor nodules in mouse pancreas: Characterization of a novel orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor model for interventional studies

  PLoS ONE · 2024-03-28 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Preclinical models of cancer are vital for assessing and predicting efficacies and toxicities of novel treatments prior to testing in human subjects. Current pancreatic tumor models exhibit variable growth rates, unpredictable tumor size after implantation in non-native tissues, or require surgical implantation. Surgical implantation in the pancreas may produce not only unpredictable tumor uptake but could also elicit additional inflammatory responses. In searching for a pancreatic carcinoma cell that can be introduced into a mouse via simple injection, we found that Pan02, a murine ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma derived from a pancreatic lesion of a C57BL/6 mouse, inoculated peritoneally can consistently produce pancreatic tumors. This intraperitoneal, but not intravenous, introduction of Pan02 cells leads to the attachment and growth of Pan02 in the pancreas before spreading to other tissues. Time-course tissue analysis indicates that the Pan02 cells first find, infiltrate, and grow within the pancreas, producing a pancreatic tumor model. This model appears to mimic pancreatic cancer development in humans and is the first reported use of Pan02 cells to produce orthotopic pancreatic and metastatic neoplasms in a mouse model without the need for tumor implantation within matrices or survival surgeries. This orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, with consistent tumor uptake, synchronized tumor development and survival, and predictable outcomes may enable and accelerate the preclinical evaluation of treatment candidates for pancreatic cancer.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Drug Combination Nanoparticles Containing Gemcitabine and Paclitaxel Enable Orthotopic 4T1 Breast Tumor Regression

  Cancers · 2024-08-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Early diagnosis, intervention, and therapeutic advancements have extended the lives of breast cancer patients; however, even with molecularly targeted therapies, many patients eventually progress to metastatic cancer. Recent data suggest that residual breast cancer cells often reside in the lymphatic system before rapidly spreading through the bloodstream. To address this challenge, an effective drug combination composed of gemcitabine (G) and paclitaxel (T) is administered intravenously in sequence at the metastatic stage, but intravenous GT infusion may limit lymphatic GT drug accessibility and asynchronous drug exposure in cancer cells within the lymph. To determine whether co-localization of intracellular gemcitabine and paclitaxel (referred to as GT) could overcome these limitations and enhance the efficacy of GT, we have evaluated a previously reported GT drug-combination formulated in nanoparticle (referred to as GT-in-DcNP) evaluated in an orthotopic breast tumor model. Previously, with indocyanine green-labeled nanoparticles, we reported that GT-in-DcNP particles after subcutaneous dosing were taken up rapidly and preferentially into the lymph instead of blood vessels. The pharmacokinetic study showed enhanced co-localization of GT within the tumors and likely through lymphatic access, before drug apparency in the plasma leading to apparent long-acting plasma time-course. The mechanisms may be related to significantly greater inhibitions of tumor growth-by 100 to 140 times-in both sub-iliac and axillary regions compared to the equivalent dosing with free-and-soluble GT formulation. Furthermore, GT-in-DcNP exhibited dose-dependent effects with significant tumor regression. In contrast, even at the highest dose of free GT combination, only a modest tumor growth reduction was notable. Preliminary studies with MDA-231-HM human breast cancer in an orthotopic xenograft model indicated that GT-in-DcNP may be effective in suppressing human breast tumor growth. Taken together, the synchronized delivery of GT-in-DcNP to mammary tumors through the lymphatic system offers enhanced cellular retention and greater efficacy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R29AI031854

  NIH · $504k · 1996

• NIH Grant P51RR000166

  NIH · $95.7M · 2012

• NIH Grant R21NS048996

  NIH · $358k · 2009

• NextGen Long-acting and targeted combination ART for Children with HIV

  NIH · $2.1M · 2020–2022

• "NextGen Long-acting Platform: Targeted Combination Antiretrovirals"

  NIH · $1.6M · 2019–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Danny D. Shen

  University of Washington

  33 shared

• Tot Bui

  University of Washington

  27 shared

• Ann C. Collier

  Duke University

  25 shared

• Jennifer Freeling

  21 shared

• Josefin Koehn

  University of Washington

  21 shared

• John C. Kraft

  University of Washington

  18 shared

• Jianguo Sun

  China Pharmaceutical University

  17 shared

• Lisa A. McConnachie

  Impel Neuropharma (United States)

  17 shared

Labs

• Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University of WashingtonPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of Tennessee

• Other

  University of California

• Other

  Stanford University

Awards & honors

• Paul Dawson Biotechnology life-time achievement award
• Volwiler life-time research achievement award
• AAPS Biotechnology Research achievement