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Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Graham Ladds About Dr. Graham Ladds Graham studied Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham before completing a Ph.D. in yeast pheromone signaling at Warwick. He continued to work at Warwick as a post-doc studying pro-hormone convertases before securing a 5-year independent fellowship funded through the NHS. This project enabled him to return to his interest in GPCRs. He progressed through the ranks at Warwick to become an Associate Professor before leaving in 2015 to join the Department of Pharmacology at Cambridge, where he is also a Fellow of St John’s College. In 2020, he was promoted to a Readership/Professor in Receptor Pharmacology and was elected a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society. His research group uses a combination of pharmacological investigations and mathematical modeling to study factors that control agonist bias at GPCRs. These investigations have enabled him to foster strong collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry (GSK, Takada, and Firmenich) which have recently been enhanced through him being awarded a Royal Society Industry Fellowship to collaborate with AstraZeneca . Dr. Graham Ladds on the web Twitter ResearchGate LinkedIn Google Scholar PubMed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Katarina Nemec About Dr. Katarina Nemec " I am a pharmacist with an interest in systems pharmacology and precision medicine. Since my undergraduate studies, I have been engaged in researching molecular mechanisms that govern human (patho-)physiology and their interplay with drugs. I aim to discover new therapeutic approaches, and druggable molecules or refine canonical drug targets to create drugs with fewer adverse effects. I studied Pharmacy at the University in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and at the University of Bonn, Germany, working initially on the role of prostaglandin receptor EP4 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. During my PhD studies in Martin Lohse lab at the Max Delbrueck Center in Berlin, I consolidated my knowledge of GPCRs pharmacology while performing various cell-based experiments to understand the binding, activation, and signaling of therapeutically relevant GPCRs. In addition, I generated various optical biosensors based on fluorescence or bioluminescence resonance energy transfer technologies (FRET, BRET) that were used for functional screens with state-of-the-art microscopy and high throughput screening to explain novel ways of GPCR modulation. I am continuing with the development of advanced screening approaches in the Madan Babu lab to progress in the understanding of spatiotemporal regulation of biased GPCR activation and signaling. I want to combine experimental approaches with data-driven discovery and adopt data science methodology to tackle relevant scientific questions on the systems pharmacology level. " Dr. Katarina Nemec on the web Babu Lab ResearchGate Google Scholar ORCID LinkedIn Twitter Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Nicolas Gilles About Dr. Nicolas Gilles "Dr. Nicolas Gilles is an expert in the study of animal toxins. He is pioneering the investigation of animal toxins acting on GPCRs, the largest therapeutic target class. His strongest expertise lies in therapeutic target identification and all the steps from venom manipulations, to in vivo validation. When the pharmacological properties of these new ligands are deemed exceptional, a lead optimization is realized and its therapeutic development initiates through a dedicated start-up." Dr. Nicolas Gilles on the web Google Scholar LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Retreat 2023 About Program Registration Logo Contest Committee Sponsors GPCR Retreat Program < Back to schedule Genetic Deletion of Atypical VGLUT3 Rescues Huntington’s Disease Phenotype and Neurodegeneration in zQ175 Mice Date & Time Friday, November 3rd / 2:10 PM About Karim Ibrahim "A postdoctoral researcher, interested in studying G-protein coupled receptors and their role in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases." Karim Ibrahim on the web X (Twitter) Google Scholar Dr. GPCR Previous Event Next Event Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec 22nd GPCR Retreat Sponsored by

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Bianca Plouffe About Dr. Bianca Plouffe Dr. Bianca Plouffe obtained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 2003 from Université de Sherbrooke (Qc, Canada). She then completed an M.Sc. in Physiology from the same university in 2005 by investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in the angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT2R)-mediated neurite outgrowth while characterizing new selective AT2R agonists. In 2006, Bianca obtained a Doctoral Scholarship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé. She moved to the University of Ottawa to complete a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. She identified the molecular mechanisms involved in the opposite regulation of dopamine D1 and D5 receptors by protein kinase C. After obtaining a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2012, Bianca joined the research group of Prof Michel Bouvier at Université de Montréal. As part of Bouvier’s team, Bianca used Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET)-based technology to tackle important questions related to GPCRs. She identified the structural determinant controlling biased signaling of melatonin type 2 receptors in the context of protection against type 2 diabetes. Bianca also collaborated with Prof. Robert Lefkowitz , which led to the finding that both β-arrestin and G protein can simultaneously bind to some GPCRs when signaling in endosomes by forming a megaplex. In 2018, Bianca was appointed Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast to develop her research program. Funded by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award, she investigated biased and compartmentalized G protein signaling by the vasopressin type 2 receptor. In 2021, Bianca secured a permanent position as a lecturer. Her subsequent work has focused on understanding the role of compartmentalized Gq signaling by the cytomegalovirus-encoded chemokine US28 receptor in the context of glioblastoma. Dr. Bianca Plouffe on the web Queen's University Belfast website LinkedIn ResearchGate ORCID Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Ilana Kotliar About Dr. Ilana Kotliar "Ilana Kotliar is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Tom Sakmar at The Rockefeller University, where she just recently defended her PhD thesis. Ilana uses chemical biology-based methods to study the regulation and protein-protein interactions of GPCRs and a small family of accessory proteins called RAMPs. Ilana’s research is multi-disciplinary and involves a close collaboration with proteomics experts at The Science for Life Laboratory in Sweden. She is a recipient of the prestigious Women in Entrepreneurship Award, an NIH T32 Training Grant, and two Nicholson Fellowships. Outside of the lab, Ilana is a leader within her community, spearheading several outreach initiatives including a global mentoring initiative that matches graduate student mentors to PhD applicants. Ilana graduated Summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she studied Chemistry and Chemical Biology and was recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar." Dr. Ilana Kotliar on the web Google Scholar LinkedIn Twitter Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Amynah Pradhan About this episode In this episode of the Dr. GPCR podcast , we meet with Dr. Amynah Pradhan. She is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Amynah did her undergrad research measuring IP3 in airway smooth muscle cells and completed a Ph.D. at McGill University in Canada with Dr. Paul Clarck , where she studied opioid receptors. Her next career step took her to AstraZeneca as a postdoctoral trainee, where she studied animal models of pain and sensory neuron sensitive-receptor. She then returned to academia and worked on opioids as a postdoctoral trainee with Dr. Brigitte Kieffer , where she studied ligand-directed signaling at the delta-opioid receptor. Her career path-defining moment came from a third postdoctoral experience with Dr. Chris Evans at UCLA. Amynah studied how arrestins regulate ligand-directed signaling at delta-opioid receptors, and it is their collaboration with a headache physician-scientist Dr. Andrew Charles that who specialized in animal models of migraine and delta-opioid receptors as a therapeutic target to treat headache. Dr. Amynah Pradhan on the web Lab page LinkedIn Twitter Google Scholar PubMed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Retreat 2023 About Program Registration Logo Contest Committee Sponsors GPCR Retreat Program < Back to schedule Welcome Remarks Date & Time Thursday, November 2nd / 1:30 PM Previous Event Next Event Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec 22nd GPCR Retreat Sponsored by

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Benjamin Myers About Dr. Benjamin Myers Ben Myers is an assistant professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT, and an investigator with the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Ben’s research focuses on Smoothened and other class F GPCRs which play essential roles in embryonic development and in cancer. His group studies the unusual signaling mechanisms employed by these atypical 7-transmembrane receptors, combining biochemical and structural approaches with cell biology and in vivo models. These studies have revealed new and unexpected ways for membrane lipids to regulate GPCR activity and for GPCRs to control intracellular kinases. More recently, Ben’s lab has begun studying GPCR signaling pathways that operate within the primary cilium, a tiny antenna-shaped structure at the cell surface with critical links to development, physiology, and disease. Ben studied developmental and cancer signaling as a postdoctoral fellow with Philip Beachy at Stanford University. Prior to that, Ben received his Ph.D. from UCSF in 2008, where he worked with David Julius on the structure, function, and physiology of ion channels and GPCRs in the nervous system. Dr. Benjamin Myers on the web Website Twitter Pubmed University of Utah Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Martin Audet About Dr. Martin Audet Structural biologist, pharmacologist, and a professor of pharmacology at Université de Sherbrooke. He is the head of the AudetLab located at the Institute of Pharmacology of Sherbrooke and is an emerging leader in the structural biology of G Protein-Coupled Receptors and passive transporters. Strong education with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in biochemistry under the supervision of Michel Bouvier at Université de Montréal, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellow at Scripps Research in San Diego and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles as a member of Raymond Stevens group. Dr. Martin Audet on the web LinkedIn Twitter Sherbrooke University Google Scholar Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Anything BUT GPCRs with Dr. Mikel Garcia-Marcos About Dr. Mikel Garcia-Marcos "I was trained as a biochemist and molecular biologist during my Ph.D (2005) in Spain and Belgium, and subsequently as a cell biologist during my postdoc (2006-2011) with Dr. Marilyn Farquhar (UC, San Diego), a pioneer of modern Cell Biology. All my formal training was in the area of signal transduction, and I continued to work on this area since I established my own laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry at Boston University in 2012. My research aims to understand the mechanisms and consequences cell communication via heterotrimeric G-proteins (Gαβγ) because they represent major intracellular hubs of signaling with very direct biomedical relevance. To achieve this goal, we use a wide range of established approaches (biochemistry, cell biology, genetics) and experimental systems (purified proteins, cultured cells, model organisms) in combination with the development of novel tools (biosensors, chemogenetics, optogenetics). Our ongoing efforts have direct implications in cancer, embryonic development defects, and neurological disorders." AI Summary In the podcast episode "Anything but GPCRs" featuring Dr. Mikel Garcia-Marcos, the host Yamina explores Dr. Garcia-Marcos's academic journey, which spans training in Spain, Belgium, and a postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Diego, where he navigated a career focused on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) while aiming to maintain broad scientific interests. Dr. Garcia-Marcos shares insights on transitioning from postdoctoral research to leading his own lab, addressing the challenges of applying for academic positions and the importance of networking, adaptability, and mentorship in fostering a collaborative research environment. The conversation further delves into the dynamics of managing a diverse team, emphasizing the role of personality assessments in enhancing team cohesion and performance. Dr. Garcia-Markos reflects on milestones in his research journey, reinforcing the passion that drives scientists in the GPCR field, and engages listeners to connect with the podcast for a richer community experience. Dr. Mikel Garcia-Marcos on the web Boston University LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. David E. Gloriam About this episode David Gloriam is a Professor in Computational Receptor Biology at the University of Copenhagen where he leads a research cluster for GPCR function and drug discovery and a Pharmaceutical Data Science unit. His group runs the GPCRdb database where ~4,000 researchers each month retrieve reference data and access online tools for analysis, visualization, and experiment design. David obtained his Ph.D. from Uppsala University in Sweden where he worked on the bioinformatic identification of 24 novel human G protein-coupled receptors. He later identified physiological hormones of such under characterized ‘orphan’ receptors and functional probes for a range of receptors. He completed two postdocs in the UK at the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute and GlaxoSmithKline . In 2018 he joined the University of Copenhagen, where he has received an ERC Starting Grant, Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship, and Novo Nordisk Foundation Ascending Investigator awards. Dr. Gloriam is a corresponding member of the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Pharmacology (IUPHAR). He is one of the coordinators of recommendations to describe ligand bias towards signaling probes and safer drugs. His group recently developed an online resource of biased ligands and pathway effects to advance the biased signaling field. Join me a learn more about David’s work, his career trajectory, and GPCRdb. Dr. David E. Gloriam on the web LinkedIn ResearchGate Twitter Google Scholar Computation Receptor Biology- Gloriam Group GPCRdb Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. David Sykes About Dr. David Sykes " David Andrew Sykes, BSc Hons Pharmacology, MSc Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, PhD in Molecular Pharmacology & Drug Discovery. David has over 20+ years of experience working in a drug discovery environment mainly in a specialist assay development role and most recently with Novartis. In 2014 David joined the University of Nottingham and began a part-time PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Discovery that he was awarded in 2020. During this period David has made a significant contribution to the understanding of agonist/ antagonist GPCR kinetic determinants in an area of growing scientific interest. His current interests include the development of HTS fluorescence-based kinetic binding assays specifically designed to assess the kinetics of unlabelled compounds (and chemical fragments) and the use of purified receptor/ effector proteins as tools for drug discovery. " Dr. David Sykes on the web Veprintsev Lab ResearchGate LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. JoAnn Trejo About Dr. JoAnn Trejo Dr. JoAnn Trejo earned her Ph.D. at UC San Diego. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at UC San Francisco under the guidance of Professor Shaun Coughlin where she worked on the newly discovered protease-activated GPCRs. Dr. Trejo joined the faculty in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina in 2000 and then moved to UC San Diego School Medicine, Department of Pharmacology in 2008, where she quickly rose through the ranks to tenured professor in 2012. In 2014, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Department of Pharmacology. The long-term goal of Dr. Trejo’s research program is to gain a thorough and mechanistic understanding of processes that control cell signaling by protease-activated receptors (PARs) and the impact on vascular inflammation and cancer progression. PARs are GPCRs that are activated through an atypical irreversible proteolytic mechanism. The precise control of PAR signaling is critical for proper temporal and spatial dynamics of signaling and appropriate cellular responses. Discovering new aspects of PAR signaling is important for increasing the fundamental knowledge of GPCR biology and for the identification of drug targets and future drug development. Dr. Trejo’s research has focused on PAR1, which has important functions in hemostasis, thrombosis, inflammation, and cancer and is an important drug target. She has made numerous important discoveries related to the mechanisms that control PAR1 signaling and closely related family members and published extensively on this topic. Dr. Trejo has been continuously funded by the NIH for >20 years and was a recipient of the prestigious American Heart Association Established Investigator Award. Her laboratory is the recognized expert on protease-activated receptors, particularly PAR1, and over the years she has discovered novel aspects of GPCR biology, acquired critical expertise, and rigorous approaches to examine PAR1 function using human cultured cells and mouse models. Dr. Trejo has presented her studies at 52 national/international meetings and 66 academic seminars across the U.S. Dr. JoAnn Trejo on the web UC San Diego Trejo Lab Wikipedia LinkedIn Google Scholar Orcid Twitter UC San Diego School of Medicine Researchgate Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Full Agenda Adhesion GPCR workshop 2024 CINVESTAV, Mexico City, Mexico October 23-25 Download PDF Program HERE < Back to Full Agenda Dr. GPCR Community Presentation Breaking Barriers: My Journey from Mexico to the Heart of the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem and beyond About Monserrat Avila Zozaya "My doctoral research was focused on investigating the cellular effects of missense lung cancer-mutations in the G-protein-coupled receptor Autoproteolysis-Inducing (GAIN) domain of Latrophilin 3 receptor under the mentorship of Dr. Antony Boucard. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher fellow in Dr. Kathleen Caron's laboratory at UNC. My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of adhesion GPCRs (aGPCRs) in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), a cellular model with unique junction arrangements where aGPCRs are mainly unexplored. " Monserrat Avila Zozaya on the web LinkedIn Caron Lab Antony Boucard Lab Dr. GPCR < Previous Session Next Session >

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Raul Gainetdinov About Dr. Raul Gainetdinov Raul R. Gainetdinov is the Institute of Translational Biomedicine Director at Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU), Russia. Before SPBU, Raul R. Gainetdinov was a Senior Researcher in the Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genova, Italy (2008-2016) and an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Duke University in North Carolina, USA (1996-2008). From 2013-2018, he was also a Professor at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), Moscow. Before joining the Department of Cell Biology in 1996 as a postdoc and becoming faculty at Duke in 2000, he researched at the Institute of Pharmacology Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Moscow (1988-1996). He received a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 1992 from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and an M.D. in 1988 from the Second Moscow Medical Institute, Moscow, Russia. Since 2013, he has been elected Chair of the subcommittee for the Dopamine receptors of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC-IUPHAR). As of August 2022, he has over 270 publications in scientific journals (including Science, Nature, Cell, and PNAS) and co-authored 13 patents. His papers were cited over 28,000 times (H-index – 81, ISI Web of Science). In 2018-2020, Raul R. Gainetdinov was included in the Web of Science (WOS) Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) list, representing the top 0.1% of scientists worldwide. Dr. Raul Gainetdinov on the web Saint-Petersburg State University Wikipedia Google Scholar Researchgate Google Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Discover how Celtarys Research is transforming GPCR assay development with fluorescent ligands in this episode featuring CSO Dr. Maria Majellaro—and learn what their new partnership with Dr. GPCR means for the global research community. Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Custom Molecules, Fluorescent Probes: When Chemists Think Like Biologists with Dr. Maria Majellaro from Celtarys A Partnership Rooted in Scientific Innovation In this episode, Dr. Maria Majellaro, CSO of Celtarys Research, shares the story behind the company’s journey from academic curiosity to biotech force. But this conversation also marks something new: a strategic partnership between Dr. GPCR and Celtarys, built on a shared commitment to empowering the GPCR research community. At Celtarys, the focus is on enabling fast, customizable development of fluorescent ligands and chemical probes for GPCR assays. What started as a PhD project has grown into a commercial technology that helps scientists interrogate receptor pharmacology with greater speed and flexibility. “We started with GPCRs, but now we’re expanding to many new targets. Every time, it’s a new world—and we’re still learning.” — Maria Majellaro Through this partnership, Celtarys becomes an integral part of the Dr. GPCR ecosystem, contributing both expertise and tools that align directly with the needs of scientists at the bench and in translational drug discovery. Decision-Making: From Researcher to Scientific Leader Maria’s story is one of trusting her instincts while embracing change. She began as a medicinal chemist in Italy, but a postdoc opportunity in Santiago de Compostela—and a mentor’s timely suggestion—changed her trajectory. When the time came to decide whether to leave the lab and lead Celtarys into biotech, she took the leap. “It was my shift from the lab to leadership. I wasn’t sure at first, but I realized I could do this too.” — Maria Majellaro Her decisions, often made intuitively rather than analytically, have led to key inflection points—including Celtarys’ formal launch in 2021, just as the world was emerging from the pandemic. Now, she leads a team of six scientists and continues to build momentum through collaborations like the one with Dr. GPCR. Translating Science into Business Like many scientists-turned-entrepreneurs, Maria faced the challenge of learning the business side of biotech on the fly. Celtarys had the technology—but not the roadmap for commercialization. That changed with support from Galicia’s robust biotech network, and the company quickly defined its value: building better tools for drug discovery assays. “As scientists, we know how to make molecules. But we had to learn everything else—IP, market positioning, customer discovery.” — Maria Majellaro This year, as part of its partnership with Dr. GPCR, Celtarys will bring those lessons to the broader community, providing insight into assay development, probe design, and the realities of scaling innovation from lab bench to product launch. The Complexity Behind Every “Successful” Probe Maria is candid about the technical challenges behind fluorescent ligand development. “It’s not just attaching a fluorophore,” she says. Each probe must retain activity, remain soluble, and be compatible with a given assay format. There were moments of doubt and repeated optimization. The payoff? Enabling companies and academic labs to avoid the costly dead ends often associated with probe development. “You can have a great ligand—but if you can’t solubilize it, it’s useless.” — Maria Majellaro Celtarys’ unique chemical platform shortens development timelines and allows tailored modifications—critical for labs starting new GPCR-related projects. Their work directly supports the tool-building mission that aligns with the Dr. GPCR ecosystem. Pivoting: From Chemistry Company to Discovery Partner Initially focused on tool production, Celtarys has evolved into something more: a scientific collaborator. Their approach is highly consultative—they don’t just sell ligands, they co-develop solutions. The company works with clients from pharma, CROs, and academia, including MD Anderson and several leading GPCR labs. “We always start with the problem, then generate the right compound using our chemistry. It’s about enabling biology.” — Maria Majellaro Through its partnership with Dr. GPCR, Celtarys will expand its visibility and impact—offering its expertise, tools, and real-world insight to researchers tackling today’s most pressing GPCR-related questions. Summary made with AI ________ Key Takeaway This episode is more than a conversation—it’s the official kickoff of a one-year partnership between Dr. GPCR and Celtarys. Together, we’re combining chemistry, biology, and business insight to empower the GPCR research community like never before. Whether you're designing assays, developing probes, or seeking better tools for GPCR drug discovery, Celtarys and Dr. GPCR are now working hand-in-hand to help you do it faster, better, and more reproducibly. Keyword Cloud GPCR research community , Dr. GPCR ecosystem , GPCR drug discovery , fluorescent ligands , GPCR scientist network , custom ligand development , GPCR assay development , G protein-coupled receptors , GPCR podcast , Celtarys partnership Summary created by AI ________ About Maria Majellaro Dr. Maria Majellaro obtained her PhD with the distinction of Doctor Europeus from the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Bari (Italy) in 2018. During her doctoral studies, she spent one year as a predoctoral visiting student at the CIQUS Research Center—Campus of International Excellence—in Santiago de Compostela (Spain). In 2018, she returned to CIQUS to work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the group of Prof. Eddy Sotelo, where together with Dr. Jhonny Azuaje they laid the groundwork for the future creation of Celtarys Research. Since the founding of Celtarys in 2021, she has served as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, leading all scientific activities—from the development of Celtarys’ proprietary products to the ideation and execution of custom research projects. She also oversees the company’s scientific collaborations across Europe and beyond, being responsible for securing and managing national and international research grants. To date, she has successfully led seven funded projects. Her scientific expertise is rooted in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry, with a particular focus on GPCR modulators. She has played a central role in the development and validation of Celtarys’ proprietary synthetic technology and is both a co-author of the related patent and a co-founder of the company. Maria Majellaro on the web LinkedIn ResearchGate Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Gáspár Pándy-Szekeres About Gáspár Pándy-Szekeres " After a BSc in biology and a MSc in bioinformatics, I have been working in David Gloriam's group as a bioinformatician. My initial focus was on creating an automated chimeric homology modeling pipeline for GPCRs and since have branched out to multiple areas of GPCR research such as sequence alignments, generic numbering systems, structure data, G protein and arrestin coupling and more. As a developer, and more recently the lead developer of GPCRdb my day-to-day work centers around the maintenance and resource/tool development of GPCRdb and its sister databases. I am also affiliated with György Keserű's group at the RCNS in Hungary. I lived in Denmark, Poland, now I live in Hungary. I am married, I have two daughters. In my free time I like to play the guitar, sing and play board games. " Gáspár Pándy-Szekeres on the web LinkedIn University of Copenhagen ResearchGate Twitter Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Scott Struthers R. Scott Struthers, Ph.D., is our co-founder and has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since December 2008. Prior to Crinetics, he was senior director and head of endocrinology and metabolism at Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., from 1998 to 2008. At Neurocrine, he initiated and led the effort to discover and develop orally active, nonpeptide GnRH antagonists, including elagolix. Prior to Neurocrine, from 1995 to 1998, he co-founded ScienceMedia Inc. to develop eLearning solutions for the life sciences and higher education markets. Between 1992 to 1995 he led contract research efforts at Biosym Technologies to develop and apply computational tools for drug discovery. In 2021, Dr. Struthers co-founded and serves as board chair at Radionetics Oncology, a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel radiotherapeutics for oncology indications. In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, a nonprofit organization that provides resources for early-stage start-ups, which he co-founded in [2009.] R. Scott Struthers on the web LinkedIn Google Scholar Crinetics Radionetics Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list A Brief History of allosteric modulation with Dr. Arthur Christopoulos About Dr. Arthur Christopoulos " Arthur Christopoulos is the Professor of Analytical Pharmacology and the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Australia. His research focuses on novel paradigms of drug action at GPCRs, particularly allosteric modulation and biased agonism, and incorporates computational and mathematical modelling, structural and chemical biology, molecular and cellular pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and preclinical models of behaviour and disease. His work has been applied to studies encompassing neurological and psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, chronic pain and addiction. He has received substantial, long-term support from international and national competitive, charitable and commercial sources, as well as being academic co-founder of three GPCR-focussed biotechnology companies. Professor Christopoulos has over 360 publications, including in leading international journals such as Nature,Science and Cell, and has delivered over 180 invited presentations. He has served on the Editorial Board of 8 international journals and was a Councillor of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR). He has also been the recipient of multiple awards, including the John J. Abel Award and the Goodman and Gilman Award from the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; the Rand Medal from the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists; the British Pharmacological Society’s Gaddum Memorial Award; the IUPHAR Sir James Black Analytical Pharmacology Lecturer; the GSK Award for Research Excellence and a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the University of Athens. Since 2014, Clarivate Analytics have annually named him a Highly Cited Researcher in ‘Pharmacology & Toxicology’, and in 2021 also named him a Highly Cited Researcher in the additional category of ‘Biology & Biochemistry’. In 2017, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, in 2018 as a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society, and in 2021 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science for his seminal contributions to drug discovery. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. " Dr. Arthur Christopoulos on the web Monash University Wikipedia Google Scholar LinkedIn Dr. GPCR AI Summary Quick recap Yamina and Arthur discussed Arthur's career journey in pharmacology, including his mentors and significant discoveries related to allosteric receptors. They explored the evolution of the field, allosteric modulation concepts, and potential therapeutic approaches involving autoantibodies and allosteric modulators. Additionally, they covered the importance of target product profiles, reproducibility in experiments, and collaborative efforts such as a potential book on GPCR history. Next steps - Arthur will continue to collaborate with other researchers and drug companies to advance the understanding and application of allosteric modulation. - Arthur will work on designing ligands for specific receptors, aiming to create biased agonists for therapeutic use. Summary Arthur's Career Journey and Allosteric Receptors Yamina and Arthur discussed Arthur's career journey and his contributions to the field of pharmacology, with a focus on allosteric receptors and their modulation. Arthur highlighted his mentors' influence, such as Fred Mitchelson and Nigel Burch, and significant discoveries like the concept of synthetic allosteric modulators by Bruns and Fergus. He also discussed the evolution of the field, from biochemical radioligand binding assays to cell-based functional assays, and the influence of Terry Kenakin and chemical programs on his later work. The conversation ended with Arthur's ongoing research and his development of a new operational model. Yamina emphasized the importance of understanding the historical context of the field and the significance of Arthur's contributions. Allosteric Modulation and Hybrid Molecules Arthur and Yamina discussed the development of an operational model for allosteric modulation, emphasizing the balance between mechanism and empiricism. Arthur shared his career journey, including his collaboration with Patrick Sexton and Jim Burch, and the discovery of hybrid molecules with functional selectivity. They also discussed the re-emergence of interest in certain programs, the importance of connections across receptor families, and the potential of hybrid molecules. Arthur's strategy of consulting drug companies and targeting their posters at conferences was also shared with Yamina. Pharmaceutical Industry Experiences and GPCR History Arthur shared his experiences in the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting the differences between big pharma and biotech. They discussed strategies for analyzing large compound screening data, emphasizing robust assays and addressing issues like shifting curves. Arthur recounted a 2004 visit to a pharma company using replicates in assays. Yamina proposed compiling a book on GPCR history through collaborative interviews, considering a symposium to align terminology. For their upcoming project, Yamina favored a conversational approach, while Arthur suggested a kickoff meeting, with Yamina planning chapters and interviews. Bias Mitigation in Symposium Ideas Arthur and Yamina discussed the concept of bias in the context of the history of the Symposium idea. They reviewed significant early papers related to the topic, including work by Brian Roth, Terry Kenakin, Bill Clarke, and Kelly Burke. They also discussed their own research on chemokine receptors and the importance of understanding the natural environment in drug discovery. Lastly, they touched on a project with Nicola Smith that challenged their previous theories. Allosteric Modulation and Drug Discovery Yamina and Arthur delved into the complexities of protein-protein interactions, specifically allosteric modulation. They discussed various modulatory elements, such as RAMPs, G proteins, and GRKs, with Arthur recounting his initial collaboration with Patrick Sexton on RAMPs and amylin receptors. They also delved into the different signaling of Class B receptors and the potential for modulation at various levels. The discussion underscored the potential of allosteric modulators as drugs, despite challenges in the past due to a lack of understanding about the principles involved. They highlighted the importance of fine-tuning the approach to suit different diseases and interdisciplinary collaboration. The discussion also emphasized the need for a disease-specific approach, considering the clinical context and dialing in the desired effect, as well as the significance of rational drug design principles. Allosteric Modulation and Autoantibodies Discussion Arthur and Yamina discussed the potential of autoantibodies and allosteric modulation in the context of disease and therapeutic approaches. Arthur explained the concept of endogenous allosteric ligands and the possibility of using a neutral allosteric ligand as a preferred therapeutic approach, emphasizing the importance of looking for low level cooperativity factors. They also discussed the potential of certain drugs, like flumazenil, as 'nails' or compounds that could be developed into medicines. The conversation highlighted the importance of establishing the correct disease context, setting up appropriate assays, and understanding the models for their work. They both agreed on the necessity of understanding the target product for an allosteric modulator and working backwards from there. TPP, Allosteric Modulators, and Reproducibility Yamina and Arthur discussed the concept of a target product profile (TPP) in drug development, with Arthur explaining its application in other contexts as well. Yamina appreciated Arthur's expertise and indicated she would be creating an outline for an episode on allosteric modulators. They highlighted the importance of reproducibility in scientific experiments, sharing personal experiences and anecdotes. They also discussed their upcoming trips to the GPCR Colloquium in California and current research in their fields. Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dylan Eiger About Dylan Eiger Dylan Eiger is currently an MD/Ph.D. student at Duke University School of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University in 2016 where he worked in the lab of Dr. Stephen Craig and studied polymer chemistry and material science. He is currently finishing his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Sudarshan Rajagopal, a former postdoctoral fellow of Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz . Dylan's graduate research focuses on the mechanisms underlying biased signaling at GPCRs, specifically, the role of differential receptor phosphorylation (phosphorylation barcodes) and subcellular GPCR signaling in directing functionally selective responses. He primarily studies the chemokine receptor CXCR3 as it has three naturally occurring ligands and thus serves as an endogenous example of biased agonism. After finishing his MD/Ph.D., Dylan plans to complete his residency training in Internal Medicine and subsequently pursue fellowship training in Cardiology. He hopes to continue his research on biased agonism at GPCRs with a particular focus on the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Dylan Eiger on the web LinkedIn Twitter PubMed Website Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Matthew Eddy About Dr. Matthew Eddy Matthew Eddy earned his BA in Chemistry from Oberlin College, where he trained with solid-state NMR expert Professor Manish Mehta . He then earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, training under the mentorship of Prof. Robert Griffin . Following this, Dr. Eddy began learning and investigating human GPCRs while training in the laboratories of Professors Raymond Stevens and Kurt Wüthrich at The Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Matthew Eddy on the web Website Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Ralf Jockers About Dr. Ralf Jockers Ralf Jockers studied in Cologne and received a Ph.D. in biotechnology and biochemistry from the University of Braunschweig, Germany. For postdoctoral training, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Strosberg AD in France, where he worked on the regulation of ß-adrenergic receptors. He is the Research director at INSERM with a specific interest in G protein-coupled receptors by developing original BRET and TR-FRET assays. His laboratory is currently located at the Institute Cochin – Inserm (Paris, France). His laboratory was among the first to demonstrate the oligomerization of GPCRs. He showed the formation of melatonin receptor heteromers in vitro and in vivo and their importance in retinal physiology. He established the concept of ligand-independent functions of orphan receptors in heterodimers with other GPCRs. He discovered multiple rare and loss-of-function variants of the MT2 melatonin receptors that are associated with type 2 diabetes (TD2) development. Many MT2 variants are biased and their defects are signaling pathway-specific opening new perspectives for T2D treatment and precision medicine. His lab was among the first to discover mitochondrial functions of GPCRs. He was the director of the French network of GPCRs (GDR-3545), currently directs the International Research Network (IRN) i-GPCRnet of the CNRS, is chair of IUPHAR « Melatonin receptor » sub-committee, Editor-in-Chief of « Frontiers in Cellular Endocrinology » and AE of « J Pineal Research”. He is a highly cited researcher – 2019 and 2020 identified by Clarivate Web of Science ™. Dr. Ralf Jockers on the web Jockers Lab WGDR-3545 Pubmed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Catherine Demery shares how she found clarity and purpose in academic opioid research. From her early doubts to designing preclinical models of fentanyl and xylazine overdose, she reflects on staying in academia, building translational experiments, and using real-world data to drive impactful science in the GPCR research community. Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Xylazine, Fentanyl, and the Fight for Breath with Catherine Demery Two drugs. Two different mechanisms. One deadly outcome. Fentanyl and xylazine are pushing the opioid crisis into dangerous new territory, and Catherine Demery is on the front lines of the science trying to stop it. In this gripping conversation, Catherine, a PhD candidate at the University of Michigan, shares how personal loss and an unconventional career path—industry chemist, NIH researcher, and now GPCR pharmacologist—led her to investigate how these drugs shut down breathing in different ways. Her research combines cutting-edge GPCR signaling studies with real-time public health data from Michigan’s Red Project, revealing how fentanyl slows inhalation, xylazine prolongs exhalation, and together they drop heart rate to dangerous lows. And while users aren’t asking for xylazine, dealers are lacing it into the supply—driving overdose deaths higher. Why This Matters Fentanyl : Potent synthetic opioid that decreases inhalation rate. Xylazine : Veterinary sedative that prolongs exhalation and induces bradycardia—acting through alpha-2 adrenergic, not opioid, receptors. The Combo : Not just additive—lethal. Street Data : Xylazine-laced fentanyl in Michigan has jumped 30–60% in recent years. What You’ll Learn in This Episode How industry lab experience builds the discipline needed for academic research. Why xylazine is an emerging overdose threat and how it differs mechanistically from opioids. The methods used to measure respiratory depression in live models. How loss and lived experience can sharpen scientific focus. The role of public health programs in informing lab research. How GPCR pharmacology connects molecular insights to real-world interventions. Who Should Listen This episode is especially relevant for: GPCR drug discovery scientists Respiratory pharmacologists Addiction researchers Public health professionals Early-career scientists navigating non-linear paths About Catherine Demery Catherine Demery didn’t set out to be on the front lines of the opioid crisis. After earning her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Michigan, she deferred pharmacy school, unsure if that path felt right. Instead, she went hands-on—working as an analytical chemist in a GLP/GMP-regulated CRO, where precision and discipline became second nature. That led her to a master’s in pharmacogenomics at Manchester University, igniting her fascination with how genetics and drugs interact. Her next stop: the NIH, studying the immunology of pregnancy. But loss has a way of sharpening focus—friends lost to overdose brought the opioid epidemic into painful clarity. Catherine decided to act where she could make the biggest difference: in the lab. Today, as a PhD candidate in the labs of Dr. John Traynor and Dr. Jessica Anand at the University of Michigan, Catherine investigates how fentanyl and xylazine shut down breathing through different mechanisms—work that blends receptor pharmacology, preclinical models, and public health data to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in addiction science. Catherine Demery on the web LinkedIn Google Scholar University of Michigan 🎧 Listen now and see how one scientist is turning molecules into a mission, bridging the gap between receptor pharmacology and the urgent fight to save lives in the opioid epidemic. __________ Keyword Cloud GPCR research community , Dr. GPCR ecosystem , GPCR training program , GPCR podcast , opioid pharmacology , xylazine research , mu opioid receptor , pharmacogenomics , fentanyl epidemic , preclinical pharmacology Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Nicholas Holliday About Dr. Nicholas Holliday After an undergraduate degree at the University of Cambridge, Nick carried out his Ph.D. at King’s College London, supported by an AJ Clark Ph.D. studentship from the British Pharmacological Society. It was these studies and subsequent postdoctoral work that led to Nick's interest in peptide messengers regulating appetite, metabolism, and the immune system, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the signaling and regulation of their GPCRs. Nick joined the University of Nottingham in 2006, where he is now Associate Professor, establishing a lab focused on G protein-coupled receptor kinetics, signaling, and trafficking and on using novel imaging techniques, such as fluorescent ligands and complementation methods, to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Since 2019, Nick has combined his university role with the leadership of Excellerate Bioscience as Chief Scientific Officer, a contract research organization specializing in molecular and cellular pharmacology. Excellerate is involved in several pre-clinical drug discovery projects for both GPCR and non-GPCR targets, using its expertise in pharmacology to deliver high-quality target validation, lead optimization, and mechanism of action studies for our clients. Dr. Nicholas Holliday on the web LinkedIn ORCID University of Nottingham Twitter Excellerate Bio Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Elva Zhao About this episode Elva is currently a research fellow at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Elva moved to Canada where she obtained her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario, working on the regulation of G proteins signaling by accessory proteins, such as RGS proteins and GPSM proteins. After her Ph.D., she moved to Australia and continues working on GPCRs. Her current research focuses on class B GPCRs and understanding how GPCR signaling and function is mediated by various ligands, binding partners, and intracellular machinery. In her spare time, Elva likes to run in the mountains, play with Tilly (a 9-year old retired greyhound), collecting mini shoes, and hang out with friends. Join me to learn more about Elva, class B GPCRs, and Tilly. Dr. Elva Zhao on the web LinkedIn Monash University Pubmed Twitter Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Stuart Maudsley About Dr. Stuart Maudsley Stuart graduated from the University of Leeds in the U.K. with a First Class Honors degree in Pharmacology. At the end of his studies, he was awarded the Pfizer Prize for undergraduate research. He then completed his Ph.D. at Leeds as well as the University’s Ackroyd, Brotherton, and Brown Scholar. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Maudsley was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellowship to train with Professor Robert Lefkowitz at Duke University. Following this tremendous experience, he was recruited to be the Principal Investigator of the Receptor Biology Section at the Medical Research Council (MRC) -Human Reproductive Sciences Unit within the University of Edinburgh. At the MRC he developed novel prostate cancer therapeutics based upon his research into GPCR pluridimensional signaling. To broaden his biomedical skill-set Stuart next accepted the position of Head of the Receptor Pharmacology Unit at the National Institutes of Health – National Institute on Aging at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. At the NIH he was the recipient of the coveted NIH ‘Bench-to-Bedside’ Translational Research Grant Award, one of the few awards available within the intramural NIH program. Upon starting a new family, and returning to Europe, Dr. Maudsley continued his scientific journey with the award of the highly-valued Odysseus Program Type I Program Grant to work as both the Adjunct Director of the VIB Center for Molecular Neurology and also Vice-Chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Antwerp. Stuart’s current research, in the Receptor Biology Lab, focuses on the development of novel GPCR-based therapeutics that interdict diseases based on their gerontological underpinnings. This research stream is now forming the basis of a new technology-based start-up company, HeptOME , to help screen and develop novel longevity/disease-regulating compounds with multidimensional disease efficacy profiles. Dr. Stuart Maudsley on the web Maudsley Lab LinkedIn Google Scholar ResearchGate Maudsley Lab on Facebook Receptor Biology Lab Facebook Group Twitter Semantic Scholar Instagram Neurotree Dimensions Reddit Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Empowering Drug Discovery for the GPCR Community with Dr. Justin English About Dr. Justin English "Dr. English earned his PhD at UNC Chapel Hill in the laboratory of Dr. Henrik Dohlman and performed his postdoctoral work with Dr. Bryan Roth at the same University. We moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2020 to begin his own laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine. His lab focuses on developing and innovating technologies to solve broad questions in pharmacology, with a specific focus on G-protein coupled receptor signaling and biology." Dr. Justin English on the web The English Lab University of Utah Google Scholar LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Retreat 2023 About Program Registration Logo Contest Committee Sponsors GPCR Retreat Program < Back to schedule Board Meeting Date & Time Friday, November 3rd / 9:30 PM Previous Event Next Event Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Récepteurs à Sept Domaines Transmembranaires du Québec 22nd GPCR Retreat Sponsored by

Strategic Partners Dr. GPCR Podcast << Back to podcast list Dr. Yamina Berchiche About this episode Listen to this fantastic round table discussion that I had the privilege to moderate with Alexander Hauser . Our guests were Maria Waldhoer , Tudor I. Oprea , Thomas Sakmar , Aurelien Rizk & Yaroslav Nikolaev . The explosion of biomedical data such as in genomics, structural biology, and pharmacology can provide new opportunities to improve our understanding of human physiology and disease. In recent years, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods have received a significant boost in attention. ML/AI can be powerful for identifying abstract patterns within large data where traditional methods would be oblivious to. This comes without the need for manual feature engineering as systems can learn through implicit rules from the data provided. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate a vast variety of critical biological processes and provide an ideal case study for quantitative, and multi‐scale integration of these amounts of data to gain novel insights into receptor biology. How can we best leverage these exciting new techniques in areas such as protein structure prediction, bioactive ligand discovery, in-vivo translation ability, or in our understanding of signaling determinants? Here, we would like to discuss the opportunities, weaknesses, and advantages of these new technologies, which may contribute to probe our favorite targets at all scales. For more information on the ERNEST network, visit https://ernest-gpcr.eu/ . Dr. Yamina Berchiche on the web Website LinkedIn Publications Twitter Facebook Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Enjoying the Dr. GPCR Podcast? Leave a Review. Leave a quick review to help more scientists find the show—and help us keep improving every episode. It takes <60 seconds and makes a big difference. ★ Review on Apple Podcasts ★ Rate on Spotify ✉️ Send feedback to the team Recent Podcast Articles The Truth About GPCR Product Launches: Years in the Making Innovative Data-Driven Solutions: The pHSense Revolution How a Failed Med School Dream Sparked a GPCR Biotech Revolution Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>