Dr. Alfred Schinkel is a distinguished molecular pharmacologist and leading authority in cancer drug resistance mechanisms at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. He currently serves as Group Leader of the Pharmacology of Anticancer Drugs research group where he has established himself as a pioneering researcher in drug transport mechanisms. After receiving his Bachelor's degree in biology/biochemistry in 1979 and his Master's degree in biochemistry in 1983 he developed expertise in molecular oncology through his early collaborations with Piet Borst. Since establishing his independent research program in 1997 he has dedicated his career to understanding how the body handles anticancer drugs and how tumors develop resistance to these therapies.
Dr. Schinkel's groundbreaking research on P-glycoproteins particularly ABCB1 has fundamentally transformed our understanding of drug resistance in cancer treatment. His seminal 1997 PNAS paper on Normal viability and altered pharmacokinetics in mice lacking mdr1-type drug-transporting P-glycoproteins provided crucial evidence for the role of these transporters in drug disposition and resistance. His laboratory developed sophisticated in vivo mouse models that have become essential tools for studying drug transport and metabolism enabling researchers to better understand how these mechanisms protect normal tissues from drug toxicity while contributing to treatment failure in tumors. This work has had profound implications for drug development influencing pharmaceutical approaches to overcoming resistance mechanisms.
Beyond his direct research contributions Dr. Schinkel has been instrumental in shaping the field of cancer pharmacology through his extensive publication record and mentorship of the next generation of researchers. His laboratory continues to investigate novel drug transporters and their impact on chemotherapy efficacy and toxicity at the Netherlands Cancer Institute. As a recognized expert his work has helped establish critical frameworks for understanding how to optimize drug exposure while minimizing toxicity risks in cancer patients. Dr. Schinkel's ongoing research focuses on developing better anticancer drugs and treatment approaches by leveraging insights into drug handling mechanisms with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes in cancer therapy.
