Insights That Move the GPCR Field Forward

Science used to reward the lone genius—the first author who “drove the project,” the PI whose name defined a field. But the problems we face today—metabolic disease, obesity, GPCR signaling complexity—are too layered, too multidimensional, too systemic for single-discipline solutions. As Hodson put it, the work he leads now would be impossible without partnerships. Whether it's human genetics, imaging platforms, peptide chemistry, or neural metabolic mapping—every piece re

When David Hodson’s lab teamed up with chemist Johannes Broichhagen aka JB (then a young researcher newly arrived during a home DIY moment), the goal was bold and elegant: Create a photo-switchable ligand to remotely control GPCR signaling with light. This was the moment when photopharmacology felt like the future. The literature was buzzing. Labs were competing. The idea was simple — turn signaling on or off with a flash of light.