Lisa K. Brents

Lisa K. Brents, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. Her research focuses on developing opioid treatments for pregnant women that minimize neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), particularly examining buprenorphine’s metabolite norbuprenorphine. She holds a Ph.D. from UAMS (2013) and has received grants including the UAMS Fellow-to-Faculty Award (2016-2019).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Pharmacology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 2013

Research Interests: Dr. Brents investigates strategies to reduce NAS severity by altering buprenorphine metabolism and placental transport. Her lab studies norbuprenorphine’s role in NAS, p-glycoprotein’s role in fetal exposure, and deuterated buprenorphine’s pharmacological profile. She also explores long-term effects of prenatal opioid exposure and synthetic cannabinoid metabolism.

Recent Research Support:

• "Maternofetal Buprenorphine Pharmacokinetics in NAS Development" (UAMS Fellow-to-Faculty Award)
• "The Role of Norbuprenorphine in NAS" (UAMS College of Medicine)
• "Deuterated Buprenorphine Metabolic Profile" (UAMS/CTSA KL2 Grant)

Awards:

• UAMS Fellow-to-Faculty Award

Labs/Teams: Dr. Brents leads a research team focused on opioid pharmacology in pregnancy, using rodent models and advanced behavioral analysis tools like Ethovision® XT software. Her work integrates clinical pharmacology, toxicology, and translational medicine.