Faculty and Staff Profile

Christopher Farrell

Educational Background

University of South Carolina, School of Medicine Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences

University of Rhode Island BA in Biology/Psychology, Minor in Classical Studies

Courses Taught

Knowledge Development
Research Methods
Genetics, Ethics, and Policy
Pharmacogenomics

Profile

Dr. Christopher Farrell is an assistant professor in the Healthcare Genetics and Genomics (HCG) program at Clemson University. Before joining Clemson University, Dr. Farrell worked in the pharmaceutical industry for several years, where he helped develop vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies. He received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Carolina. He has taught in the healthcare programs of several institutions such as Presbyterian College, Manchester University, and Campbell University. His area of research is cancer genetics, cancer education in rural communities, pharmacogenomics education, and the study of inherited disorders such as Aarskog-Scott and Fraser Syndrome.

Research Interests

Multi-drug resistance (MDR) is a serious complication in the treatment of cancer patients. MDR can become an obstacle to chemotherapy treatment in solid tumors of any stage but is more commonly associated with late stage and/or aggressive tumors. Patients with MDR tumors have a poor prognosis compared to patients with a tumor which is responsive to chemotherapy. A patient’s tumor can develop MDR before or after the initiation of chemotherapy treatment. The cause of MDR after the initiation of chemotherapy is well understood, but it is not known how tumors develop MDR before chemotherapy treatment. By identifying a connection in MDR tumors of chemotherapy-naïve patients, we hope to discover biomarkers that will lead to better treatment plans for patients who are starting the initial chemotherapy treatment.

Research Publications

1. McWhorter NY, Lowe TB, Sarasua SM, Farrell CL, Gillingham MB. Insufficient diet management and monitoring of patients during phase 2 and 3 pharmaceutical clinical trials: A narrative review with a systematic approach. Nutrition. 2025 Jun 3;139:112861. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.112861. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40614482.

2. Meaddough EL, Sarasua SM, Kunkel D, Boccuto L, Ganakammal SR, Moersen M, Farrell CL. Assessment of CYP2D6 gene expression in liver tissue: Variability in CYP2D6 mRNA levels within genotype-predicted metabolizer phenotype groups. Chem Biol Interact. 2025 Aug 1;416:111526. doi: 10.1016/j.cbi.2025.111526. Epub 2025 Apr 23. PMID: 40280382.

3. Wiedower J, Smith HS, Farrell CL, Parker V, Rebek L, Davis SC. Payer perspectives on genomic testing in the United States: A systematic literature review. Genet Med. 2025 Feb;27(2):101329. doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2024.101329. Epub 2024 Nov 15. PMID: 39556478.
4. Mattingly A, Vickery Z, Ivankovic D, Farrell CL, Hakonarson H, Nguyen K, Boccuto L. Exploring the Therapeutic Potential for Breast Cancer of Phytochemicals and Secondary Metabolites in Marjoram, Thyme, and Persimmon. Metabolites. 2024 Nov 25;14(12):652. doi: 10.3390/metabo14120652. PMID: 39728433; PMCID: PMC11678518.

5. Contella L, Farrell CL, Boccuto L, Litwin AH, Snyder ML. Impact of Substance Use Disorder on Tryptophan Metabolism Through the Kynurenine Pathway: A Narrative Review. Metabolites. 2024 Nov 10;14(11):611. doi: 10.3390/metabo14110611. PMID: 39590847; PMCID: PMC11597030

6. Stewart L, Koci AF, Lowe TB, Patterson WG, Farrell CL, Withycombe JS. Sharing Genomic Tumor Sequencing Results With Patients: Experiences of Advanced Practice Oncology Providers. J Adv Pract Oncol. 2024 Nov 4:1-10. doi: 10.6004/jadpro.2024.15.8.17. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39802532; PMCID: PMC11715460.

7. Contella L, Farrell CL, Boccuto L, Litwin A, Snyder ML. Gene Variant Frequencies of IDO1, IDO2, TDO, and KMO in Substance Use Disorder Cohorts. Genes (Basel). 2024 Oct 29;15(11):1388. doi: 10.3390/genes15111388. PMID: 39596587; PMCID: PMC11594152.

8. Stewart L, Patterson WG, Farrell CL, Withycombe JS. A Case for Caution: Patient Use of Artificial Intelligence. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2024 May 17;28(3):252-256. doi: 10.1188/24.CJON.252-256. PMID: 38830249.

9. Farrell CL, Goodbar N, McCaslan M, Moore H, Lee JA, Wu J, Messersmith A. Assessing the pharmacy students' knowledge of genetic counseling with genetic variants that are associated with inherited disease. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2023 Aug;15(8):754-760. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2023.07.006. Epub 2023 Jul 26. PMID: 37507313.

10. Meaddough EL, Sarasua SM, Fasolino TK, Farrell CL. The impact of pharmacogenetic testing in patients exposed to polypharmacy: a scoping review. Pharmacogenomics J. 2021 Aug;21(4):409-422. doi: 10.1038/s41397-021-00224-w. Epub 2021 Jun 17. PMID: 34140647.

11. Chart NA, Kisor DF, Farrell CL. Defining the role of pharmacists in medication-related genetic counseling. Per Med. 2021 Sep;18(5):509-522. doi: 10.2217/pme-2021-0005. Epub 2021 Aug 17. PMID: 34402307.

12. Kisor DF, Farrell CL. Expanding Pharmacist and Student Pharmacist Access to Genetics/Genomics/Pharmacogenomics Competency Education. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2019 Mar 12;6:2382120519834325. doi: 10.1177/2382120519834325. PMID: 30886894; PMCID: PMC6415470.

13. Kisor DF, Calinski DM, Farrell CL. Beyond the didactic lecture: pharmacogenomics in pharmacy education. Per Med. 2018 Jan;15(1):9-12. doi: 10.2217/pme-2017-0056. PMID: 29714112.

14. Shull AY, Farrell CL. 'Et tu, inhibitor?': the potential for HIV inhibitors to prime P-gp-mediated chemoresistance in cancer. Future Sci OA. 2017 Nov 23;4(2):FSO269. doi: 10.4155/fsoa-2017-0134. PMID: 29379643; PMCID: PMC5778385.