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Explore the world of GPCRs with Dr. GPCR Podcast! Join industry leaders as they share insights, stories, and groundbreaking discoveries, enriching our understanding of GPCRs. Delve into the science behind these vital components shaping our collective knowledge. Welcome to the Dr. GPCR Podcast - The Voice of the Community Conversations with the world’s leading GPCR scientists. Exploring discoveries, careers, and ideas shaping human health. In each episode, we sit down with leading experts to explore their career journeys, groundbreaking discoveries, and the impact of their research on our shared understanding of GPCR biology. Launched at the height of the pandemic, the Dr. GPCR Podcast was created with three goals: Share discoveries – Highlight the latest advances in the GPCR field. Amplify voices – Provide scientists a platform to showcase their work. Inspire the future – Motivate the next generation to pursue GPCR research. At its core, Dr. GPCR’s mission is simple yet ambitious: to bring the GPCR community together - across borders and disciplines - to connect, exchange, and collaborate in order to improve human health through a deeper understanding of GPCR biology. Latest Podcast Episodes More podcast episodes Dr. GPCR Podcast Audience Survey We are currently planning our next season and need your help. This short survey will help us understand your needs to bring you exciting and informative content. We also know that you are busy, which is why we designed this short survey that should take you 5 minutes. Fill out this form Be our Guest In each episode, we chat with an expert about their career trajectory, discoveries, and how their research contributed to the shared pool of knowledge about GPCR biology. We’d love to have you on our podcast. To be a guest, fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch in 48 hours. Fill out this form What others are saying about this podcast "You made it a very comfortable and engaging experience, and it felt like we were chatting over coffee — Yamina thoughtfully guided our chat throughout." Anita Nivedha I think it's really well done. I'm genuinely interested to see how it evolves and grows over time, as I feel it has the potential to develop into something even more impactful. Anonymous This came at just the most perfect time. I hadn't heard a scientific talk outside my lab since February and was starved to hear someone else talk passionately about GPCRs. I've listened to the episodes multiple times and it's just like being at a conference getting new ideas. I just couldn't be happier y'all created this podcast. Anonymous Great initiative, thanks. Carrier paths, choosing research topics, switching fields, late start, failures and successes. Anonymous I enjoy the breadth of questioning that goes beyond just the science, and reveals a bit about the scientists as individuals/mentors/people. Anonymous Really enjoyable science podcast! Dr. Yamina Berchiche interviews leading GPCR scientists on this vibrant, entertaining podcast. I really appreciate the way the podcast educates and mentors, particularly towards junior scientists but also to the community as a wholen Yamina is a great interviewer, getting insight and personal history from her guests. Am very grateful for Dr GPCR livening up the week in these difficult times! Sam @Pharmamechanic Listen and subscribe where you get your podcasts

Dr. GPCR Podcast - The Voice of the Community Whether you’re a scientist, student, or just curious, you’ll hear about discoveries, career stories, and the latest GPCR news. Jump in and get inspired! Strategic Partners Latest Podcast Episodes Select by Guest Name 2026-06-10 2026-04-29 2026-03-04 2025-12-17 2026-05-27 2026-04-01 2026-02-18 2025-12-03 2026-05-13 2026-03-18 2026-02-04 2025-11-19 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ... 16 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player Listen and subscribe where you get your podcasts

Advanced GPCR webinars for pharmacologists and biotech scientists. Live Q&A. Deep mechanistic insight. Reserve your seat. University / Free & Live Webinar Live GPCR Webinars with the World's Leading Experts. Deep-dive sessions focused on real pharmacology, real drug discovery challenges, and real translational insight. Live Q&A with the scientists shaping the field. Live for those who can be there. On demand for everyone else. 👉 Sign Up for Notifications Get the live link before each session Strategic Partners Webinars Upcoming Live & On Demand Webinars Recombinant Antibodies for GPCRs: A Challenge to the Community Speakers Dr. Alexander Ball, MD Dr. Alexander Ball of GeneTex joins Dr. GPCR to walk through what the company is doing about it, and the challenge it comes with: A high-throughput recombinant antibody platform built for specificity at scale Prioritized validation: CRISPR KO/KD, endogenous expression, cell fractionation, comparable antibodies, application-specific testing VirDTM-GPCR arrays for cross-reactivity screening when feasible More than 300 recombinant mAbs against almost 200 human GPCRs, and growing Free samples for GPCR researchers who will test the antibodies in their own labs and give structured feedback 📅 June 25, 2026 at 3:00:00 PM Details Receptor Signaling Bias: A Valuable and Accessible Property of New Drug Candidates Speaker Dr. Terry Kenakin - UNC Chappel Hill | Terry's Pharmacology Corner Topics Covered The biological basis of receptor signaling bias and ligand-dependent conformations How to design functional assay panels that quantify bias rather than infer it Interpretation pitfalls and what assay system choice does to bias estimates Translating pathway-level data into lead selection and optimization decisions Why potency alone is not enough for candidate-level decisions 📅 May 28, 2026 at 3:00:00 PM Details Fluorescent Probes for GLP-1R and GIPR Imaging: From Cell Assays to In Vivo Systems Speakers Dr. Johannes Broichhagen - Junior Group Leader Dr. David Hodson Topics Covered: LUXendin probes for GLP-1R labeling across imaging modalities daLUXendin dual agonists for GLP-1R and GIPR visualization Nanodomain organization in pancreatic islets and neural sites Practical handling: reconstitution, dilution, and storage Applications from live cells to in vivo systems 📅 March 3, 2026 at 3:00:00 PM Details 1 1 ... 1 ... 1 1,400+ Scientists in the Ecosystem 30+ Countries Represented 60–90 Scientists per Live Session Free Always. No Paywall. No Catch. Use It Tomorrow Practical takeaways, every session. Walk away with something you can apply in your next experiment, assay, or project decision. Together in the Room Scientists from around the world, in the same conversation. The chat, the Q&A, the shared curiosity — the community thinking together in real time. Free and Generous No paywall. No catch. The ecosystem gives this away because GPCR scientists deserve access to high-quality science. Sign up, show up, bring your questions. Direct Access Ask an expert a live question and get a real answer. That direct access doesn't exist at conferences — it exists here. No Borders Live for those who can be there. On demand for everyone else. The GPCR community doesn't stop at borders — and neither do we. Stay Ahead Learn about methods, tools, and approaches before they become widely known. Be ahead of colleagues who aren't in the ecosystem. What Makes These Webinars Different? Not a lecture. A scientific exchange. Built for the GPCR community, by the GPCR community. Every session is designed to move your science forward. First Dr. GPCR event? Welcome. This is what the community looks like — scientists from around the world, thinking through discovery challenges together. There's no paywall, no catch. Just real science and real exchange. If this is your first session, there's a lot more where this came from. Want to Go Deeper? This Is Just the Beginning If a free webinar is this good, imagine what the full ecosystem looks like. Dr. GPCR University brings you premium Masterclass sessions, 200+ recordings, weekly curated news, and a global community of GPCR scientists — all in one place. Webinar → Weekly News → 14-Day Trial → University Premium 👉 Sign Up for Notifications These sessions are part of a larger mission: building the most trusted home for GPCR scientists worldwide. Frequently Asked Questions Questions about the webinars What are GPCR webinars? GPCR webinars are free, live online scientific sessions focused on G protein-coupled receptor biology, pharmacology, signaling, and drug discovery. Each session explores mechanistic models, translational challenges, and real-world therapeutic implications through presentations and live Q&A. They're designed for scientists who want deep, data-driven discussion rather than surface-level overviews. Who should attend? Any scientist working with GPCRs — pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, cell biologists, translational researchers, discovery teams, postdocs, PIs, and industry scientists. Whether you're deep in receptor biology or evaluating assay tools, these sessions are built for you. Are the webinars free? Yes. Always. No paywall, no catch. Sign up with a free registration and you'll receive the live link before each session. Recordings are also freely available on demand afterward. Are the webinars live or pre-recorded? All webinars are live events with real-time Q&A — that's the point. After the live session, the full recording becomes available on demand so scientists in every time zone can access the same content and depth. How are these different from conference talks or academic seminars? The Q&A is the core, not an afterthought. These sessions are designed for interaction — scientists asking direct questions and getting real answers. There's no travel required, no registration fee, and you're in a room with researchers from dozens of countries who share your focus on GPCRs. What topics are typically covered? GPCR pharmacology, signaling, structural biology, allosteric modulation, biased agonism, assay design, drug discovery workflows, translational challenges, and the science behind emerging tools and methods. Every session is grounded in receptor biology with a focus on what's practical and applicable. Do I need prior knowledge of GPCR pharmacology? A working understanding of GPCR biology helps you get the most from each session. That said, the presenters are skilled at making complex science accessible, and the Q&A often covers foundational questions alongside advanced discussion. Where can I find more advanced GPCR training? If you want to go deeper, Dr. GPCR University offers premium Masterclass sessions with frontier science, unresolved questions, and extended scientific exchange — exclusively with independent scientists. The webinars are the open door; Masterclass is the room you earn access to. You can explore University with a 14-day trial. Be in the Room When the Science Moves Forward Sign up to get notifications about upcoming webinars. Bring your questions. 👉 Sign Up for Notifications

Learn about Celtarys Research through the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem. Explore their innovative GPCR projects, collaborations, and contributions to cutting-edge drug discovery. Partnership Dr. GPCR x Celtarys Reseach Empowering medicinal biochemists Celtarys empowers medicinal biochemists by providing innovative fluorescent probes that de-risk the pre-clinical drug discovery phase. Our proprietary conjugation technology and unparalleled scientific expertise ensure researchers can confidently advance their projects with greater precision and reliability. Visit Website About Celtarys Research Celtarys Research develops and commercializes new chemical tools to spread the use of fluorescence-based methods in the pre-clinical phase of drug discovery. Our proprietary chemical conjugation technology allows us to grow, in a competitive manner and in a short time (<3 months), customized fluorescent ligands with optimal pharmacological and photophysical properties for any druggable target. We have a catalogue of over 30 fluorescent ligands for different families of GPCRs, including adenosine, dopamine, serotonin, cannabinoid and muscarinic receptors. We also offer our expertise in the form of custom development services, where we tackle challenging targets and synthesize probes with the most suitable properties for your needs. Meet the Celtarys Team Wilson Gomes CEO Wilson Gomes holds a Mechanical Engineering degree, an MBA from the University of North Carolina, and completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School. He has over 20 years of experience in the medtech and diagnostics industries, having held senior roles at Johnson & Johnson and Danaher across the EMEA region in sales, marketing, and general management. He joined Celtarys as CEO in 2024, where he is responsible for driving strategy and growth. His focus is on expanding commercial reach and accelerating the adoption of the company’s GPCR assay technologies. Maria Majellaro Co-Funder and CSO Dr. Maria Majellaro earned her degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Bari and completed her PhD in Biomolecular Sciences in Pharmacology and Medicine as “Doctor Europeus” in 2018. She then joined the University of Santiago de Compostela as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Eddy Sotelo’s group, contributing to the IGNICIA tech transfer project and the validation of Celtarys’ core technology. In 2021, she co-founded Celtarys and now leads the company’s scientific direction. Her work focuses on organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and the development of GPCR-targeted tools for pharma, biotech, and academic partners. Webinar Fluorescent Probes for GLP-1R and GIPR Imaging: From Cell Assays to In Vivo Systems Fluorescent tools for imaging endogenous incretin receptors across biological systems See Webinar Page Podcast Episodes See Podcast Page See Podcast Page See Podcast Page See Podcast Page Celtarys News & Updates A2A Fluorescent Competitive Binding: Advancing NanoBRET® Target Engagement for GPCR Drug Discovery The A₂A adenosine receptor NanoBRET® competitive binding assay enables real-time quantification of ligand–receptor interactions in living cells. By combining NanoLuc-tagged receptors with fluorescent tracers, this approach allows direct measurement of binding displacement, delivering robust pIC₅₀ and pKᵢ values that align with established pharmacology. In this article, we examine the assay principle, validation strategy, and performance across reference antagonists and agonis Lucía from Celtarys Research Mar 10 5 min read Illuminating C5aR Biology: The Role of Fluorescent Ligands in GPCR Research GPCRs are one of the most important families of therapeutic targets in the pharmaceutical industry. They are involved in several pathologies, ranging from neurological, oncological, degenerative, metabolic, immunological… around a third of the drugs in clinical use are GPCR ligands Lucía from Celtarys Research Feb 20 6 min read 1 2 3 4 5 Our Partnership Dr. GPCR and Celtarys Research Join Forces to Expand Access to Innovative GPCR Tools Boston, MA and Santiago de Compostela, Spain — June 3rd, 2025 — Dr. GPCR, the global knowledge hub for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) research and education, is proud to welcome Celtarys Research to its partner ecosystem. This collaboration aims to amplify the visibility and adoption of Celtarys’ cutting-edge fluorescent ligand technology and accelerate the development of GPCR-targeted therapeutics. Celtarys Research develops high-quality, fluorescently labeled ligands and innovative chemical biology tools to support real-time, non-radioactive GPCR assays. These tools enable high-resolution binding studies, kinetic analysis, and live-cell imaging, empowering both academic and industrial scientists to uncover GPCR biology with greater precision and speed. “We’re thrilled to partner with Celtarys and introduce their high-performance fluorescent ligands to our global GPCR community,” said Dr. Yamina Berchiche, Founder and CEO of Dr. GPCR. “These tools can dramatically improve how scientists measure ligand-receptor interactions, visualize binding in live cells, and design better experiments, core to advancing GPCR-targeted discovery.” “Dr. GPCR provides a unique platform to reach scientists at every stage of GPCR research,” said Wilson Gomes, CEO of Celtarys Research. “This partnership will help accelerate the adoption of our chemical tools and foster collaborations that turn receptor biology into therapeutic breakthroughs.” “We’re excited to support the GPCR community with tools that deliver clarity, sensitivity, and speed,” added Dr. Maria Majellaro, CSO of Celtarys. “Working with Dr. GPCR allows us to engage with researchers worldwide who are shaping the future of receptor-targeted therapies.” To explore Celtarys Research’s catalog and learn more about their GPCR tools, visit https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/celtarys-research Services & Expertise NEW! High Content Screening Service Live‑cell HCS imaging in HEK‑293T–hCB2R with fluorescent ligand CELT-331; confocal capture on Operetta CLS. GPCR Expertise Specialized knowledge in adenosine, dopamine, serotonin, cannabinoid and muscarinic receptors for advanced research. Fluorescent Probes Innovative fluorescent probes that de-risk the pre-clinical drug discovery phase with optimal pharmacological properties. Custom Development Customized fluorescent ligands developed in less than 3 months with optimal properties for any druggable target. Product Catalog GPCR Ligands Our GPCR fluorescent ligands are the ideal solution for your High Throughput Screening (HTS) needs. GPCR Functional Assay Fluorescent GTPγS enables sensitive, non-radioactive GPCR activity assays for drug discovery. Custom Development Tailored fluorescent probes designed for unique research requirements. Contact Celtarys Research First name* Last name Email* Write a message Submit Get in Touch Address Avda. Mestre Mateo 2, Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Spain Email Website LinkedIn

Discover the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem – the ultimate hub for GPCR professionals to connect, collaborate, and advance drug discovery. Home: About The global hub for GPCR science Accelerating GPCR drug discovery, together Where academia and industry meet to advance GPCR research, share knowledge, and foster collaboration across the entire ecosystem. For scientists University Your professional home in GPCR science. Live masterclasses, curated research intelligence, and a community that keeps you connected and ahead. ➔ Live masterclasses with leading researchers ➔ Weekly GPCR research intelligence ➔ Members-only networking & AMAs Explore University For industry Foundry Reach the GPCR research community where they already learn and collaborate. Strategic partnerships, visibility programs, and curated service directories. ➔ Yearly Glow strategic media partnerships ➔ CRO Bank curated service directory ➔ Direct access to 1,400+ GPCR scientists Explore Foundry 1,400+ GPCR scientists reached 200+ Expert talks & masterclasses 180+ Podcast Episodes Strategic Partner(s) Closing the gap between academia and industry Dr. GPCR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit empowering the GPCR field through shared knowledge, collaboration, and open access to tools that accelerate drug discovery. 🤝 Support the Mission

Dr. Alexander Ball of GeneTex on the recombinant platform and validation strategy behind a challenge to GPCR researchers. Free live webinar, June 25. < Back to Webinars 📅 Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 3:00:00 PM UTC 🤝 Webinar in collaboration with: GeneTex Recombinant Antibodies for GPCRs: A Challenge to the Community Test them in your lab. Tell GeneTex what works and what doesn't. A reagent gap that holds back the biology GPCR activity is targeted by one-third of all FDA-approved drugs. Yet much remains to be learned about how these 800-plus receptors are expressed and how they function in living systems. Part of the gap is biology. Multipass transmembrane proteins are genuinely difficult targets. Part of the gap is the reagents. Reliable antibodies for human GPCRs are scarce, and without them, basic questions about expression and physiological function stay out of reach. Producing specific antibodies for human GPCRs is a formidable job. Expression levels in common cell lines are often low. Identifying an immunoreactive antigen sequence that is specific for a single receptor and detectable across applications is difficult on its own. The literature often disagrees on which antibodies actually work. Proving specificity for the intended GPCR is rarely straightforward. GeneTex is tackling that problem with a high-throughput recombinant antibody platform paired with enhanced validation strategies. The approach has already generated more than 300 recombinant monoclonal antibodies against almost 200 human GPCRs, and the catalog keeps growing. Inside the platform The production workflow is built to detect promising clones early and to hold specificity, scalability, and consistency steady once those clones are selected. Dr. Ball will walk through how the recombinant platform was built, what it takes to produce specific antibodies against multipass transmembrane targets including GPCRs at scale, and how the workflow handles the realities of low endogenous expression and tight specificity requirements. Validation that earns the catalog its place Every antibody is characterized through a prioritized validation set: CRISPR-based knockout and knockdown protocols, endogenous expression detection, cell fractionation, comparable antibody testing, and application-specific testing. When feasible, GeneTex uses VirDTM-GPCR arrays (CDI Labs, Mayagüez, PR), which present a nearly comprehensive library of human non-olfactory GPCRs individually expressed on herpes simplex virion envelopes for cross-reactivity screening. Dr. Ball will walk through each, explain why KO/KD testing is prioritized, and show how the validation data is shared with researchers. The challenge: test them in your lab This is the goal of the Dr. GPCR x GeneTex partnership. GeneTex is offering free samples of the recombinant antibodies to GPCR researchers in exchange for structured feedback, positive or negative. As Dr. Ball puts it in his own words, the primary goal is to get these reagents tested and evaluated by GPCR researchers. That is how a catalog earns the trust of the community, and how the community ends up with reagents it can actually rely on. Dr. Ball will explain how the challenge works, who it is for, and how to request samples. Speaker Dr. Alexander Ball , MD, Senior Scientist, GeneTex, Inc. Dr. Ball has been with GeneTex since 2012 and leads the company's enhanced antibody validation initiative. He earned an M.D. from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed internal medicine training at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He transitioned from clinical medicine to academic research at UC Irvine, where he worked on protein complexes mediating chromosome dynamics. At GeneTex, that background shapes how he thinks about reagent quality. Antibodies are tools scientists depend on, and validation is not optional. Organizers GeneTex GeneTex is a multinational antibody manufacturer founded in San Antonio, Texas in 1997. Since 2020, its recombinant monoclonal antibody facility has produced reagents paired with enhanced validation protocols and a strong emphasis on KO/KD testing. The company's GPCR program is building a comprehensive catalog of recombinant monoclonal antibodies for the human nonsensory and orphan GPCRs. More than 300 recombinant monoclonal antibodies against almost 200 human GPCRs, and growing Prioritized validation: CRISPR KO/KD, endogenous expression, cell fractionation, comparable antibodies, application-specific testing VirDTM-GPCR arrays for specificity screening when feasible Free samples available to GPCR researchers willing to give structured feedback Yearly Glow Strategic Partner in the Dr. GPCR ecosystem Dr. GPCR Dr. GPCR is a nonprofit ecosystem dedicated to advancing GPCR-targeted drug discovery. Through curated intelligence, community engagement, podcasts, webinars, and editorial content, Dr. GPCR connects scientists, tools, and decision-makers across academia and industry, all year round. Previous Webinar Next Webinar Don’t Miss the Next Live Session Dr. GPCR membership gives you access to all upcoming live, interactive webinars. Free. Takes less than a minute to join. Cancel anytime. Sign Up for Free

Beatriz Blanco-Redondo on characterizing unknown adhesion GPCRs in Drosophila - receptor discovery, nocifensive behavior, and human disease links. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Beatriz Blanco-Redondo: Adhesion GPCR Discovery in Drosophila Adhesion GPCRs are among the least characterized receptor families in the human genome , and in Drosophila Melanogaster, three of the five known adhesion GPCRs had no documented function, expression pattern, or signaling profile when Beatriz Blanco-Redondo's group began working on them. The receptors were named after condiments, ketchup, mayo, and remulate, not out of irreverence, but because no functional data yet existed to guide any other kind of nomenclature. Blanco-Redondo, group leader at the University of Leipzig, uses CRISPR engineering and in vivo behavioral assays to build the first systematic characterization of these receptors from the ground up. Her primary focus is Remulate, a neuronal adhesion GPCR with a human ortholog linked to vascular malformations and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in vertebrate models. The fly system makes it tractable: new lines in weeks, knockouts in months, and behavioral readouts that connect receptor loss to nocifensive phenotypes in larvae. For Blanco-Redondo, the pull toward this work is not abstract. Remulate is the receptor she secured funding to study, the one her first PhD student built an entire project around, and the one that still does not have a complete localization map. This conversation covers what it looks like to do receptor biology when you are writing the first chapter, without antibodies, no prior literature, and no established toolkit to fall back on. About the Guest Beatriz Blanco-Redondo is a group leader in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Leipzig, where she studies adhesion GPCRs in Drosophila melanogaster. Her research focuses on characterizing the localization, signaling, and in vivo function of previously unknown adhesion receptors in the fly nervous system and gut. She trained in protein biochemistry and neuroscience, completing her PhD in Germany and her postdoctoral work at Columbia University, where she worked on ALS models using mouse systems. Since returning to Europe, her research has centered on receptor biology at the intersection of basic discovery and translational relevance. Scientific Themes of the Conversation First-contact receptor characterization, what it means to study a GPCR with no prior functional data Genetic tools for adhesion GPCR research in Drosophila, CRISPR, epitope tagging, and knockout strategies The logic of model organism selection : speed, genetic tractability, and translational value Nocifensive behavior as a readout for neuronal receptor function in larvae Human ortholog connections, from fly adhesion GPCRs to vertebrate vascular and neurological disease Career decisions in academic science, uncertainty, reentry, and the conditions that keep scientists in the lab Key Insights from the Conversation 1. Three adhesion GPCRs in Drosophila were functionally unknown until recently When Blanco-Redondo's group began this work, five adhesion GPCRs were known in the fly, but only two had any functional characterization. The other three had no documented expression pattern, signaling data, or phenotype. The approach was systematic: generate knockouts, introduce epitope tags, observe what breaks, and build the picture from scratch. There was no shortcut available because there was no prior literature to build on. 2. Naming receptors after condiments signals where the field actually stands Ketchup, Mayo, and Remulate were named in the absence of functional data that would normally guide nomenclature. It is a small detail, but it marks something real about the state of adhesion GPCR biology in insects: these receptors exist in a space where the biology precedes the vocabulary. The playfulness of the naming reflects the honesty of the situation. 3. Remulate connects fly neuroscience to human vascular and neurological pathology In the peripheral nervous system of Drosophila larvae, loss of Remulate disrupts nocifensive behavior - the animal's response to aversive stimuli. The human ortholog has been associated with vascular malformations and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in vertebrate models. That thread, from a behavioral assay in a fly larva to a clinical phenotype in mice, is what gives the model system its translational justification. 4. Antibody limitations drive the methodological design Because the antibody landscape for adhesion GPCRs is sparse and largely underdeveloped for fly receptors, Blanco-Redondo's group relies on CRISPR-introduced epitope tags to track receptor localization in vivo. This is not a workaround. It is a deliberate strategy that delivers spatial resolution that antibody-based approaches cannot offer for these targets at this stage of the field. 5. Drosophila generations close the experimental feedback loop A new fly line is ready in one to two weeks. A knockout can be generated and validated in two to three months. For receptor biology that requires iterative genetic manipulation - knocking out, tagging, rescuing, observing, this compression of experimental time changes which questions are tractable within a single grant period. It is not incidental to the science; it is part of the scientific logic. 6. Reconsidering a career is not the same as leaving science Blanco-Redondo describes a period after returning from New York when she was genuinely uncertain about continuing in the lab. The decision to stay came from a specific opportunity, a specific mentor, and a specific set of questions she hadn't yet answered. It did not resolve into a clean narrative. It was uncertain, and she says so plainly. 7. Negative results need infrastructure, not just tolerance Blanco-Redondo and Berchiche discuss the cost of unpublished negative data, particularly for PhD students working within three-year funding windows. The argument is not sentimental. If a failed approach were citable, it would shorten the path for the next researcher attempting the same thing. Some journals are beginning to accept negative data, and both agree this matters structurally. Episode Timeline Timestamps are AI-generated from the transcript and may not reflect the final edited episode precisely. Verify against the published video before use. 00:00 - Sponsor intro: GeneTex and Eurofins DiscoverX 00:29 - Introduction of Beatriz Blanco-Redondo; icebreaker 01:15 - Career path: from Spain to Germany, and the decision to go further 05:57 - Dr. GPCR University mid-roll 06:17 - Life in New York; comparing research cultures across continents 08:30 - How adhesion GPCRs entered the picture, and the shift toward receptor biology 11:49 - Research program in Leipzig: three unknown adhesion GPCRs in Drosophila 13:57 - Naming Remulate, ketchup, and mayo; why Remulate became the primary focus 15:47 - Lab methods: CRISPR, epitope tagging, colony generation timelines 17:29 - Behavioral and phenotypic readouts; nocifensive responses in larvae 18:48 - The human ortholog of Remulate and connections to vascular and neurological disease 22:58 - What first-contact receptor characterization actually looks like 26:02 - Career turning points; uncertainty on returning from the US 33:25 - Advice for scientists working on adhesion GPCRs and difficult model systems 35:26 - The case for publishing negative results; pressure on PhD timelines 40:54 - Upcoming GPCR conferences in Leipzig and Dusseldorf Selected Quotes "It's like there's nothing known at all about this receptor. And then you come into play and piece by piece you try to put the pieces together - it's like a puzzle. And then at the end, you can discover what a receptor that was there in the fly - nobody ever checked what it's doing." "When I moved back from the US, I was not sure I wanted to continue in science. Thanks to Toby, that gave me a position here, and I could stay. Yeah, I'm still here - so it means that I enjoy it." "You come from disease and then you're working on a receptor and you want to study what happens there. But then to see all the possibilities that this offers - that was also great." "Don't give up, because it's your passion, it's your job. We love what we do. And we have a lot of friends who don't like what they are doing. And this is very important." Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Join the scientific exchange in the room with the scientist, not watching from the audience. Access 200+ expert sessions at Dr. GPCR University. University / Live Masterclass Sessions In the room with the scientist, not watching from the audience. Live scientific exchanges with leading GPCR experts. Interactive, question-driven, frontier science. This isn't a lecture — it's a conversation with the people shaping GPCR discovery. Masterclass is included inDr. GPCR University Try it for 14 days Upcoming live sessions Your next Live Masterclass Session is waiting Each session focuses on a specific pharmacology or GPCR discovery topic, led by a recognized expert. Live Q&A means your questions get real answers. Coming Fall of 26 Dr. Dmitry Veprintsev | U. of Nottingham Postponed | Biophysical approaches to study orphan GPCR ligand binding and signalling Coming Soon October 8, 2026 Dr. Marsha Pierce | Midewestern University Introduction to GLP-1 pharmacology Coming Soon What makes this different? Not a lecture. Not a webinar. A scientific exchange. The Masterclass was created because the most valuable insights in GPCR science aren't captured in papers or conference talks. Scientist-to-scientist discussion Extended Q&A allows deeper exploration than typical presentations. You're engaging directly with the expert — not submitting a question to a moderator. Beyond conference time limits Topics are explored in greater depth than standard conference talks allow. Sessions focus on scientific reasoning, data interpretation, and real discovery problems. Focused audience of specialists Sessions bring together GPCR researchers, pharmacologists, and discovery scientists. The conversation stays at the right level because everyone in the room speaks the same scientific language. Every session recorded Can't make it live? Every Masterclass is recorded and available on demand in the library. Revisit the science anytime — over 200 sessions and growing. On-demand library 200+ expert sessions, available anytime Full recordings of every Masterclass session. Revisit the science at your pace — filter by category, level, or instructor. Explore all Recorded Masterclasses → The scientists Learn directly from world leaders in GPCR research Andrew Tobin Marsha Pierce Terry Hébert Bryan Roth Matteo Pavan Terry Kenakin Jakob Höppner Samuel Hoare Yamina Berchiche Kenneth Jacobson Sudarshan Rajagopal What scientists say? From the people in the room Dr. Hoare is very experienced in the field. What came as a pleasant surprise was how didactical and well-thought-out his course was—highly recommended. The really unexpected was that the Q&A sessions reached the highest level—beyond excellent. I am a convert! I will keep Dr. GPCR and the offered resources in my work sphere GPCR researcher Thank you for bringing this course with Dr. Kenakin. I wish Dr. GPCR the best for the sake of promoting more educational opportunities that are sorely needed in the field GPCR researcher The content had enough depth to satisfy the hunger for theory while being full of practical knowledge GPCR researcher The best pharmacology teacher teaming up with the best GPCR community platform to help train and inspire the next generation of scientists. Also super-valuable for those of us learning how to teach pharmacology GPCR researcher Dr. Hoare's extensive and elaborative explanation of the topics at hand was excellent and very digestible. Thoroughly enjoyed learning from him GPCR researcher Dr. Kenakin is a leading expert in the field. Aside from his vast experience in drug development, not to mention his extensive publication record, Dr. Kenakin is a masterful teacher and communicator. GPCR researcher The course was very practical and easily translatable to experiments that we could do in our own labs. It was clear that Dr. Hoare is very in touch with the technical and human challenges we encounter in our work GPCR researcher About the GPCR Masterclass What is a GPCR Masterclass? The GPCR Masterclass is a live scientific discussion with a leading expert in GPCR pharmacology, receptor biology, or drug discovery. Sessions focus on research questions, experimental interpretation, and emerging challenges in GPCR science. Are the sessions live or recorded? Masterclass sessions are conducted live with an invited expert. After the event, recordings are added to the Masterclass course library, where Premium Members can access them on demand. Who should join? The Masterclass is designed for GPCR researchers, pharmacologists, and drug discovery scientists working in academia, biotech, and pharmaceutical research. Can I watch sessions later if I miss the live event? Yes. All sessions are recorded and available in the Masterclass course library for Premium Members. Can I watch sessions later if I miss the live event? Yes. All sessions are recorded and available in the Masterclass course library for Premium Members. How do I fit this in my schedule? You can attend the live discussion or watch the recording later. The Masterclass library allows members to revisit sessions at any time. What makes the Masterclass different from reading papers or textbooks? The Masterclass focuses on scientific interpretation and discussion. Experts explain how they think about pharmacological data, experimental design, and discovery challenges—insight that is rarely captured in publications. What happens during the live discussion? 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Your go-to hub for everything GPCR! Stay ahead with the latest research breakthroughs, industry updates, job opportunities, and upcoming events—all in one place. University / Weekly News Know what's happening, what's coming, and what it means — before everyone else. GPCR Weekly News delivers the complete intelligence — research, jobs, events, and industry news — straight to your inbox every week. Stay informed and stay ahead, without the noise. Premium Weekly News is included in Dr. GPCR University Try it for 14 days What you get every week The intelligence, the events, the opportunities — all in one place Every week, our team curates the most important developments so you never miss a breakthrough, opportunity, or event that could impact your work. Latest Research Classified GPCR publications from the week — breakthrough discoveries, new publications, and cutting-edge insights curated for relevance. Industry Events Upcoming conferences, workshops, webinars, and networking events worldwide. Your next conference is already here. Career Opportunities GPCR-specific job listings, career tips, and networking opportunities. Opportunities find you when you're inside the ecosystem. Free vs. Premium See what you're missing Free members get the core newsletter. Premium University members get the complete GPCR intelligence. Latest free Issue Read the Free Edition Here's a preview of what you'll find in our latest newsletter Five GPCR Masterclasses Before The Summer Spring break at Dr. GPCR — five live Masterclasses scheduled before summer break, examining GPCR science past the equilibrium snapshot. From signaling kinetics to program building, plus two recordings moving into the on-demand library and the community gathering in Boston next week. Yamina Berchiche Apr 21 2 min read Try Premium for Full Access Latest issues Read the latest — and see what Premium unlocks Here's a preview of what's inside. Free members get the core article. Premium members get the complete intelligence. iPSC-Derived GPCR Models — Terry Hébert Live April 16 April 8-14, 2026 GPCR Selectivity Beyond the Receptor March 21 - April 1, 2026 At the Receptor–Transducer Interface — Live April 9 with Bryan Roth April 2 - 7, 2026 Interpret GPCR Selectivity with Greater Precision February 20 - March 20, 2026 1 2 3 4 5 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ... 14 Premium Weekly News is part of University The full GPCR intelligence — plus live Masterclasses, 200+ on-demand sessions, a job board, events calendar, and a community of scientists who have your back. See what it feels like for 14 days. Try University for 14 days Your professional home in GPCR science. $499/year after trial.

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) 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 Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Dr. Juan José Fung About Dr. Juan José Fung Dr. Juan José Fung is a Principal Scientist at GPCR Therapeutics, Inc , a drug discovery company focused on targeting GPCR heteromers in cancer, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, with an R&D facility in the SF Bay Area. Dr. Fung received his Ph.D. from the Stanford University School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Kobilka , studying the dimerization of GPCRs. Dr. Fung continued his Postdoctoral training in Dr. Kobilka’s lab contributing to the elucidation of high-resolution structures of various GPCRs. Dr. Fung has spent significant time in the industry studying membrane proteins, antibodies, and HTS methods for drug discovery. His current work is mainly focused on screening and assay development to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo GPCR pharmacology. Dr. Juan José Fung on the web LinkedIn GPCR Therapeutics Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz traces the accidental origins of his receptor research — from a Vietnam War draft to the cloning of the beta-2 adrenergic receptor — and reflects on what it takes to choose the right scientific problem and survive 50 years of failure. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Robert J. Lefkowitz: Beta-Adrenergic Receptors, the GPCR Family, and Fifty Years of Discovery The existence of hormone receptors as discrete molecular entities was, for much of the 20th century, an open question. When Robert Lefkowitz arrived at the NIH in 1968 — not by scientific calling but by a Vietnam War draft assignment — the prevailing view held that receptors were at best allosteric binding sites on adenylyl cyclase. There was no proof they were physically distinct molecules. Over the following decades, Lefkowitz and his collaborators transformed this conceptual uncertainty into molecular fact. Using radioligand binding assays developed for the beta-adrenergic receptor system, his lab purified, then cloned the beta-2 adrenergic receptor — a 1986 Nature paper that unexpectedly revealed structural homology with rhodopsin and established the GPCR superfamily. The same system yielded the discovery of beta-adrenergic receptor kinase (now GRK2) and the beta-arrestins — three of the four central molecular components of GPCR signaling. This conversation traces the scientific logic and human contingency behind those discoveries: how to choose a problem at the edge of tractability, what failure looks like at 98%, and why Lefkowitz considers sharing a Nobel Prize with his own trainee the most personally meaningful moment of a fifty-year career. ABOUT THE GUEST Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz is James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Duke University, where he has led his laboratory since 1973. His research established the beta-2 adrenergic receptor as the primary model system for understanding GPCR structure, regulation, and signaling — work that produced the first purification, cloning, and sequencing of a GPCR and led directly to the recognition of the receptor superfamily. His lab developed the GRK (G protein-coupled receptor kinase) family and discovered the beta-arrestins, proteins now understood as central mediators of receptor desensitization and G protein-independent signaling. In 2012, Dr. Lefkowitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Brian Kobilka, for studies of G protein-coupled receptors. SCIENTIFIC THEMES OF THE CONVERSATION The receptor hypothesis before proof — The conceptual and experimental gap between classical pharmacology's functional receptor concept and the physical demonstration that receptors are discrete molecular entities. Beta-adrenergic receptors as a model system — Why the adrenergic system, with its rich pharmacological toolkit and cardiovascular relevance, made it the right platform for receptor biochemistry. Radioligand binding and the first demonstration of GPCR structure — The methodological progression from iodinated hormone binding to radioligand development to purification, and what each step required. The cloning race and the serendipity of the intronless gene — Competing against Genentech's molecular biology infrastructure, screening a genomic library against expert advice, and the unexpected absence of introns that closed the race. High output vs. low output failure: choosing the right scientific problem — The framework Lefkowitz articulates for navigating between trivial, solvable problems and important, intractable ones — and how that judgment is transmitted through mentorship. Scientific lineages and the transmission of scientific taste — How the values that make a scientist effective — problem selection, tolerance for failure, the instinct to pursue surprising results — are absorbed through proximity rather than instruction. KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE CONVERSATION 1. Receptors were an unproven concept when Lefkowitz chose to study them When Dr. Lefkowitz committed to receptor research in the early 1970s, prominent pharmacologists, including Raymond Ahlquist — who had introduced the alpha/beta receptor classification — publicly disputed the physical existence of receptors. At a 1973 symposium, Ahlquist responded to Lefkowitz's research plans by stating in print that hormone receptors were "a figment of Dr. Lefkowitz's imagination." Choosing that problem required betting a career on a concept that the field's own architects considered speculative. 2. The strategic logic behind choosing beta-adrenergic receptors The selection of the beta-adrenergic system was not intuitive — it was architectural. Dr. Lefkowitz identified three requirements: a receptor linked to adenylyl cyclase (providing a proximate, measurable downstream signal), cardiovascular relevance (matching his clinical training), and a pharmacological toolkit deep enough to support radioligand synthesis, analog competition studies, and affinity chromatography. The adrenergic system was the only one that satisfied all three. He reflects, fifty years later, that it was probably the smartest research decision he ever made. 3. The cloning race was won by doing the thing experts said was stupid Competing against Genentech — then the world leader in recombinant DNA technology — Dr. Lefkowitz's lab was getting nowhere screening plasmid libraries. When Brian Kobilka proposed screening a genomic library, Merck's molecular biology collaborators called it a stupid idea: introns would make a genomic clone useless. Lefkowitz and Kobilka screened it anyway. Not only did they pull clean clones immediately — they found that the beta-2 adrenergic receptor gene contains no introns, only the third mammalian gene to that point discovered to be intronless. The race ended. 4. The moment the GPCR family became visible As sequencing of the cloned beta-2 AR proceeded in 1985–86, Lefkowitz expected the receptor to look like nothing else — the first member of an unknown family. The discovery that it was structurally homologous to rhodopsin was a complete surprise. Functional analogies between the two systems had been recognized — both were G protein-coupled — but no one had predicted structural relatedness. The realization that the sequence matched a known protein was, as Dr. Lefkowitz describes it, "a total shocker." It was the moment they understood that all GPCRs would share this architecture. 5. The 98% rule and what it means to take on important problems Dr. Lefkowitz describes a senior scientist at the NIH who told him early in his career that the difference between an average scientist and a world-class one is the failure rate: 1% success versus 2%. He has carried that framing for fifty years. When a collaborator once told him that nearly everything he was working on was succeeding, Lefkowitz told him that was a problem — if 50% of your experiments work, you are not working on hard enough problems. He aims for 10–20%. 6. Mentorship is absorbed, not taught Dr. Lefkowitz argues that the most critical skill in science — choosing a problem that is important but tractable — cannot be explained by a mentor. It is acquired by watching: how a scientist moves between problems, when they persist, when they drop something, what surprises them enough to redirect attention. This is why scientific lineages exist. The values that produce important work are transmitted the way values always are — through proximity, observation, and time. 7. Sharing the Nobel with a trainee he never interviewed When Dr. Lefkowitz learned at 5 AM on October 10, 2012, that he had won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, his first reaction was not elation — it was relief. The question he had been asked for years — when are you going to win the Nobel Prize? — would never need to be asked again. His second reaction, on learning he would share the prize with Brian Kobilka, was more personal. Kobilka had applied to Duke without ever meeting him, had joined the lab without an interview, and had been the scientist at the bench for the cloning work that anchored the prize. "That brought a tear to my eye." EPISODE TIMELINE Timestamps are AI-generated from the transcript and are approximate. Exact times may vary slightly from the published recording. 00:00 Introduction 01:29 How Dr. Lefkowitz became a scientist — a story of pure accident 08:12 The Vietnam War draft, the NIH, and the two-year assignment that redirected a career 14:02 The Yellow Berets: one 100-person cohort and ten future Nobel laureates 22:30 Choosing the beta-adrenergic receptor system — the strategic logic behind fifty years of work 39:30 High output vs. low output failure: navigating between the trivial and the intractable 46:32 Mentorship as osmosis — what you absorb from watching a scientist think 53:42 Cloning the beta-2 adrenergic receptor and the unexpected homology with rhodopsin 01:05:33 The intronless gene: how a "stupid idea" ended the race against Genentech 01:08:09 On failure: why 20% success means you are not taking on hard enough problems 01:15:17 The Nobel call at 5 AM: quiet relief, a pot of coffee, and one phone call to Brian 01:35:54 Work-life balance: an honest answer SELECTED QUOTES "It was that serendipitous event of the Vietnam War and going to the NIH — not because I was dying to do research, but just because I didn't want to be dying in Vietnam. It was that serendipitous event that basically changed the entire course of my life and career." "He got up and said, it's all very nice. But he says, this is a figment of Dr. Lefkowitz's imagination. There's no such thing as a receptor. And I remember thinking to myself as a young buck at the time: I'm going to show this guy. It took a hell of a long time." "If half of everything I'm trying to do is working, I'm not taking on very challenging stuff. I really stick around 10 or 20%. What you're seeing is a trivial fraction. Most of what we do fails. But that's science." "It was more a sense of relief, I think, and quiet satisfaction. The monkey's off my back. I realized in that moment that I would never again have to answer the question: Bob, when are you going to win the Nobel Prize?" About this episode It was December 14th, 2020, 1:50 pm, when I turned on my laptop and signed into Zoom for my chat with Bob. Bob, who, you might ask? Well, it’s the one and only Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D., 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which he shared with Dr. Brian Kobilka . Bob doesn’t really need an introduction since his reputation precedes him. Before we pressed record, I asked if I could call him Bob, and he answered that only his mom used to call him Robert, especially when she was upset with him. I then pressed record, and we chatted for almost 2h about Bob’s career, discoveries, difficulties (yes, he’s had some too), Nobel week, and his memoir that he just published in collaboration with Dr. Randy Hall. Bob is James B. Duke Professor of Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Pathology at the Duke University Medical Center. He began his career in the late 1960s and has been an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1976. His legacy lies in the numerous discoveries he and his team made in the GPCR field and in all those who trained in his laboratory and went on to pursue stellar scientific careers. I very much enjoyed chatting with Bob, and I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about him as well. Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz on the web A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline-Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist Duke University Wikipedia Nobel Prize HHMI Lefkowitz Lab Google Scholar Pubmed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Developing new tools to uncover GPCR signaling patterns with Remi Janicot About Remi Janicot I was born in Paris (France) and grew up in Europe until I was 18. After graduating high school, I moved to America to pursue my passion for basketball while continuing high level studies. I played collegiate basketball and earned my bachelor’s at Ursinus College, a small school around Philadelphia where I graduated from in 2018. After that, I worked at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore as a research assistant investigating mechanisms and treatments for pediatric epilepsy. With my background in neuroscience, the lab of Dr. Mikel Garcia-Marcos seemed like a good fit as GPCRs are integral to the functioning of the nervous system (and much more). My particular projects revolve around developing new tools to study GPCR activity in ways that were not previously possible. This research has led to a first-author Cell article on the development of a new biosensor platform called ONE-GO biosensors. Overall, the lab works on diverse models and diseases, and has developed a wide array of tools to dissect GPCR/G protein signaling which I would be happy to discuss. Remi Janicot on the web Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) 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 Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Dr. Graciela Piñeyro on what happened when her lab tested biased agonism at the μ-opioid receptor across 25 ligands, why δ-opioid receptors recycle from the lysosome, and the quantitative pharmacology that turned an early artifact into a career of receptor work. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Graciela Piñeyro: Partial Agonism, Receptor Recycling, and the Limits of Bias For over a decade, biased agonism at opioid receptors offered a clean route to analgesics without the respiratory depression and tolerance that have defined opioid therapy. If the right ligand could engage G-protein signaling while sparing β-arrestin, pain relief might finally be separable from side effects. In this conversation, Dr. Graciela Piñeyro — who leads an opioid receptor pharmacology group at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center and the Université de Montréal — walks through what happened when her lab tested that hypothesis rigorously. Across 25 ligands profiled at the μ-opioid receptor, the team found no bias, only partial agonism. Recent β-arrestin knockout work from Australia, Germany, and the UK has converged on a similar sobering conclusion. The conversation also traces her earlier work showing that δ-opioid receptors recycle from the lysosome — the compartment meant to degrade them — and how recycling patterns, not internalization itself, predict analgesic tolerance. For Dr. Piñeyro, a physician-turned-pharmacologist whose early project in Michel Bouvier's lab felt like "torture" until the right quantitative model turned her artifacts into real pharmacological responses, the throughline has never been building a career. It has been a refusal to treat messy data as noise until the right math arrived to make sense of it. About the Guest Dr. Graciela Piñeyro is a principal investigator at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center and a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the Université de Montréal. Trained as a physician in Uruguay, she began doing research in the only way then available to her — through a medical pharmacology department studying how benzodiazepines and alcohol affected sleep architecture. She completed her PhD at McGill University with Claude de Montigny, working on serotonin and antidepressant mechanisms, and her postdoctoral training with Michel Bouvier at the Université de Montréal, where she shifted into opioid receptors. Her lab now studies δ- and μ-opioid receptor signaling, biased agonism, receptor trafficking and recycling, and more recently the cannabinoid entourage hypothesis — combining BRET-based biosensors, quantitative pharmacology, and clustering approaches to connect in vitro signaling signatures to clinical side-effect profiles. Scientific Themes of the Conversation The limits of biased agonism at the μ-opioid receptor — and why partial agonism keeps explaining what bias was supposed to δ-opioid receptor recycling from the lysosome — and why the post-internalization fate of a receptor predicts tolerance better than internalization itself Protean agonism and multiple active conformations — how the same ligand can behave as agonist or inverse agonist depending on receptor tone Quantitative pharmacology as rescue operation — using operational models and BRET-based biosensors to pull pharmacological signal out of what first looks like experimental noise The defense of simple systems — why HEK-cell data can still predict FDA pharmacovigilance outcomes, and where iPSC-derived somatic systems actually pay their cost The cannabinoid entourage hypothesis as a pharmacological question — turning folkloric claims about complex mixtures into testable quantitative work Key Insights from the Conversation Twenty-five μ-opioid ligands produced partial agonism, not bias. When Dr. Piñeyro's lab systematically compared G-protein and β-arrestin recruitment across 25 compounds — standard opioids and new ligands from Pfizer — they could not identify a ligand-bias signature. What they could do was classify the compounds by relative efficacy, and that classification alone predicted clinical side effects. β-arrestin is not the villain it was made to be. Newer knockout work from groups in Australia, Germany, and the UK has shown that respiratory depression from opioids persists in β-arrestin-null mice. The mechanistic story that guided a decade of biased-ligand drug discovery needs rebuilding from the underlying biology, not from the pathway labels. The δ-opioid receptor recycles from the lysosome, and the recycling pattern determines tolerance. Long treated as a non-recycling receptor destined for degradation, the δ-opioid receptor can in fact return from the lysosomal compartment. In Dr. Piñeyro's framework, the ligands that permit recycling are the ones that produce less tolerance, whether acute or chronic — an inversion of the older view that internalization itself was the key variable. A quantitative model can turn an artifact into pharmacology. Early in her postdoc, Dr. Piñeyro watched the same ligand behave as an agonist under one condition and an inverse agonist under another. The resolution came not from a new experiment but from a model — protean agonism, as Kenakin had just described it, combined with André deLéan's software for estimating active receptor conformations — which revealed that the apparent contradiction was a quantitative signature of multiple active conformations. HEK cells still earn their keep. Even as the field pushes toward iPSC-derived somatic systems, HEK-cell signaling profiles of μ-opioid ligands correctly predicted outcomes logged in the FDA pharmacovigilance database. Dr. Piñeyro argues that the predictive power of the simpler system, and the real cost of the more elaborate one, should be weighed honestly before the field walks away from what works. The cannabinoid entourage hypothesis deserves a rigorous test. Instead of treating cannabinoids as single molecules, her group is asking whether complex mixtures of cannabinoids and terpenes produce analgesic responses that pure compounds cannot — and whether the mechanism involves allosterism across GPCRs, TRPs, and enzymes of the endocannabinoid system. The open question about THC's long-term effects on adolescent cognition sits alongside the analgesic one, and both require the same quantitative discipline. Follow the questions, not the career. Asked what advice she gives young scientists, Dr. Piñeyro's answer is blunt: she does not think of herself as having built a career. She followed interests that pulled her. In a funding environment that rewards the opposite, the advice is harder to take than it sounds — and, in her telling, the only thing that sustained her through the years when the data refused to make sense. Episode Timeline 00:00 — Introduction 01:57 — Meet Dr. Graciela Piñeyro 02:45 — From Uruguay to McGill: the cold email that changed a career 04:40 — The closed door that opened another: landing in Bouvier's lab 05:30 — The side project that became the real work 08:22 — Protean agonism and the model that rescued the data 11:00 — δ-opioid recycling from the lysosome and the question of tolerance 14:43 — 25 μ-opioid ligands, no bias, and the β-arrestin reversal 21:11 — Receptor tuning and the quantitative discipline behind the analysis 24:25 — The case for HEK cells in an age of iPSC enthusiasm 30:40 — Cannabinoids, the entourage hypothesis, and THC in teenage brains 43:20 — Follow the question, not the career Timestamps were generated using AI for readability. Selected Quotes "We tried to look for bias and classify our drugs, new and standard drugs, according to a bias signature — but there was no bias signature. What we could do was classify our drugs according to the relative efficacies. And from those relative efficacies, we were able to predict secondary effects in the clinic." "The only idea to be able to measure and predict something will transform your artifact into a real response. So that is why I got so into the models — in order to salvage my project." "We found that the receptor is sent to the lysosomes, as it has been said — but it recycles from the lysosomes." "I do not think I have a career. What I do have is — I was interested in questions and I followed my questions. I was not building a career. I was simply following my interests." About this episode Dr. Graciela Pineyro’s love for GPCR pharmacology started in Uruguay where she first worked on the serotonin receptors. This interest in research and pharmacology took Graciela to Canada where she stayed ever since she arrived for her Ph.D. work. Graciela has done extensive work on the molecular pharmacology of opioid receptors, exploring their signaling, trafficking, and their ability to activate different signaling pathways and signaling bias. Today, Graciela and her team’s efforts are directed towards the characterization of the pharmacological properties of cannabinoids in conjunction with terpenes for pain relief. Dr. Graciela Pineyro on the web Dr. Graciela Pineyro on LinkedIn Dr. Graciela Pineyro - University of Montreal Dr. Graciela Pineyro - CHU Ste-Justine Research Centre Pineyro Lab Publications on Google Scholar Pineyro Lab on Pubmed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

A conversation with Dr. Silvio Gutkind on keeping a cancer research lab running at 10% occupancy, why rotation students act like a sorting hat, and why breakthroughs come from working hypotheses that fail. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Silvio Gutkind: Building a Lab That Doesn't Shut Down Conversations that happen when a research community faces a shared constraint reveal as much about scientific practice as any experiment. Dr. Silvio Gutkind joins this resilience conversation from the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, where cancer patients cannot wait for normalcy to return. For Dr. Gutkind — carrying a personal loss in New York and leading a cancer center building that operated at 93% capacity during the early pandemic — the question was not abstract. He had to decide, week by week, what could pause and what couldn't, and whose careers would bear the cost of getting it wrong. He walks through the structure his team built: staggered schedules at 10–15% occupancy, written contracts with every lab member, a Zoom-based communication cadence, and an internal directive to read, think, plan, and write. The constraint did not slow the science; it redirected it. Bioinformatics projects flourished. Collaborations that would have waited for conferences started immediately. A harder question surfaces underneath: how much of what we call a lab is its physical walls, and how much is the community, the plan, and the willingness to let a failed hypothesis open a new direction? About the Guest Dr. Silvio Gutkind is Professor and Associate Director for Basic Science at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. His research spans GPCR signaling in cancer biology, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and the molecular circuitry that drives tumor progression. Before moving to La Jolla, he spent decades at the NIH, where he led a branch at NIDCR. That dual lineage — extramural academic and intramural NIH — shapes how he thinks about research infrastructure, student training, and scientific community. Scientific Themes of the Conversation Institutional resilience and the architecture of a research lab under constraint The contract between scientific leadership and trainees during crisis Communication infrastructure as a substitute for physical proximity Chance and opportunity as drivers of a scientific career Rotation students as cross-pollinators between labs Why breakthroughs tend to come from working hypotheses that fail Key Insights from the Conversation Cancer centers don't get to pause. Dr. Gutkind describes operating his cancer research building at 93–94% capacity during the early pandemic because cancer patients couldn't wait for normalcy. The question was never whether to stay open — it was how to stay open safely, and how to absorb the stress that came with that responsibility. The NIH shutdown playbook made UCSD ready. Years at the NIH, where federal shutdowns were routine, gave Dr. Gutkind a pre-built mental model for what to freeze, what to protect, and what to let continue. When the pandemic hit, he reached for an infrastructure he already had. Every lab member needed a contract. Rather than making ad hoc decisions about who would come in and when, the team wrote down expectations — hours, distancing, critical versus deferrable work, and an explicit clause that no one should feel pressured to be on-site. The contract wasn't bureaucracy; it was protection, especially for students. The bioinformatics arm called it "heaven." Computational scientists suddenly had uninterrupted time at home with full data access and far fewer meetings. Dr. Gutkind reports that five years' worth of ideas accumulated in that stretch — more than the lab can realistically work through. "Physical distancing," not "social distancing." A small language correction with structural weight. Dr. Gutkind argues the scientific community grew closer during the pandemic, not further apart — the physical space contracted, but the community expanded through Zoom, shared drives, and unhurried collaboration conversations. Rotation students function like the sorting hat. Because trainees rotate through multiple labs, they carry science from one bench to another. Dr. Gutkind credits several of his most valuable collaborations to a rotation student recognizing a fit that no PI would have spotted from across campus. Breakthroughs come from working hypotheses that fail. Dr. Gutkind reflects that the most significant advances in his career didn't come from confirming a premise — they came from digging into why the premise broke. The discipline is not in being right, but in being willing to let go of the framework you built when the data refuses to fit it. Episode Timeline Timestamps were generated using AI for readability. 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:46 Navigating research during the pandemic 03:30 Why cancer research couldn't stop 04:30 The NIH shutdown playbook 05:20 Writing the contract: occupancy, staggering, communication 06:50 The productivity paradox — "it's like heaven" 07:55 What will change after the pandemic 09:20 "Physical distancing, not social distancing" 11:31 Chance versus scientific knowledge in a career 12:20 Rotation students as the sorting hat 13:20 When the working hypothesis fails 14:30 Closing Selected Quotes "We have many more ideas than we can handle for at least the next five years." "I wouldn't call it social distancing — I would call physical distancing… as a community, we are even stronger." "These rotation students are like cross-pollination… almost like the sorting hat in Harry Potter." "Quite often, our breakthroughs are more often from when the working hypothesis did not work. The breakthrough came from getting deeper into why." About this episode Dr. J. Silvio Gutkind sheds light on his work and life since the beginning of COVID restrictions. A large component of his work is centered around dysregulated signaling in cancer and the development of novel mechanism-based cancer therapies. In this episode, Dr. J. Silvio Gutkind highlights how his past experience proves useful in current COVID times and potential benefits the changes in work environments can do for future collaborations. Dr. J. Silvio Gutkind on the web Gutkind Lab – UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center Gutkind Lab publications More Publications from the Gutkind Lab on Pubmed Dr. J Silvio Gutkind on LinkedIn Gutkind Lab on Twitter UCSD Moores Cancer Center Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Access expert CRO advisory services through the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem. Get guidance, strategies, and insights to optimize your GPCR research and drug discovery projects. Home About Services News Get in Touch Welcome CRO & Vendor Advisory Your Science Is Strong. Your Process Should Be, Too. I help CRO teams bring structure to collaboration—so your data gets acted on, not overlooked. When biotech partners trust your process, they come back again and again. You deliver high-quality data. But when timelines shift, expectations blur, or feedback loops break down, even the best work can lose momentum. Let’s turn your scientific rigor into results that move programs—and people—forward. Power My Discovery Biotech Clients Want Results - Not Confusion Every CRO I work with has great science—but clients still struggle to understand the value. Here's what I hear from biotech teams: “We’re not sure what we’re getting—or when we’re getting it.” “The science is solid, but the communication is scattered.” “The data looks fine, but it doesn’t help us make decisions.” Great science isn’t enough if clients don’t feel aligned, informed, and in control. That’s where I come in. How I Help CROs Deliver High-Impact Science That Biotech Teams Trust Biotech Clients Stay in Sync With Your Team I work to strengthen communication & collaboration: • Facilitate smoother communication between technical teams and biotech clients • Set clear expectations and deliverables to build trust and reduce delays • Align teams across roles—from assay execution to client updates Data Turns Into Decisions—Not Delays I help turn great science into clear deliverables • Define program objectives and guide assay plans that support partner decisions • Translate discovery data into clear, actionable formats biotech teams can use • Streamline deliverables to reduce review cycles and accelerate go/no-go calls & shorten timelines Your Science Stays Focused on What Matters We work together to position your CRO for growth • Refine your offering to match what biotech teams actually need • Position your services to shorten sales cycles and increase repeat business • Turn client feedback into improvements that boost trust and outcomes Here's What CROs Are Saying "Before working with Yamina, we were generating high-quality data across biotech programs but often navigating evolving expectations and goals from different stakeholders. After partnering with her, communication became clearer, deliverables were better defined, and collaboration across teams ran more smoothly. She helped streamline complex projects and made the CRO–client relationship more effective and productive." - Anne Marie Quinn, CEO Montana Molecular Frequently Asked Questions 01 What kinds of CROs do you work with? Any CRO focused on GPCRs, pharmacology, discovery biology, or antibody discovery—regardless of size or location. 02 What happens when I reach out? We'll start with a focused conversation about your programs and current challenges. You'll leave with clarity—even if we don't end up working together. 03 Can you help on an ongoing basis? Yes. I offer both short-term consulting and ongoing partnerships depending on your needs. Power My Discovery Send me a message First name* Last name Company name* Email* How Can I Help?* Send Message or Book My Call Menu Home Services About Ready to collaborate? Let’s talk about how I support GPCR discovery, pharmacology strategy, and cross-functional execution across biotech, VC, and CRO teams. Get in touch Connect LinkedIn Podcast Dr. GPCR Calendly ©2023-2025 All rights reserved by FindYooour, LLC & Dr. GPCR Corp Proudly created with Wix.com

Expert support, trusted CROs, and ready-to-use tools to accelerate GPCR drug discovery, reduce risk, and advance your discovery-stage projects. Dr. GPCR Foundry: Accelerate GPCR Drug Discovery Move from idea to insight—faster, smarter, and with confidence. Partner with our nonprofit team for expert guidance, trusted CRO collaborations, and field-tested tools that de-risk your GPCR programs and keep momentum strong. 👉 Book a Free 30-min Strategy Call Select your Challenge... ↑ Pick your challenge to see tailored solutions. Yamina's Corner Expert strategic and scientific consultancy for GPCR-focused biotechs, VCs, and CROs. From pipeline acceleration and investment de-risking to CRO differentiation — turning GPCR complexity into clear, actionable direction. Book Your Free Strategy Call GPCR University Team Membership Dr. GPCR University for your whole organization. Unified access to the full course library, live masterclasses, and community — so your team builds from the same expert-led foundation and compounds knowledge. Get Team Access Terry's Pharmacology Corner Team Membership The team tier of Terry's Corner. Give every scientist on your team access to Dr. Kenakin's weekly insights and AMAs — building shared language around GPCR data and pharmacological decisions. Get Team Access GPCR University Expert-led courses spanning GPCR drug discovery — from receptor biology to translational pharmacology. Includes live masterclasses, a full course library, and community access. Built for working scientists. Explore the University Terry's Pharmacology Corner Weekly expert content and live AMAs led by Dr. Terry Kenakin. Translates complex GPCR pharmacology into practical understanding you can apply to data interpretation, lead optimization, and candidate selection. Explore Terry's Corner Timeline Strategy Strategic workshops that replace trial-and-error with proven frameworks for biotech growth. Real-world case studies and data-driven models for pipeline prioritization, resource allocation, and milestone planning. Explore Timeline Strategy Strategic Media Partnership A premium, limited partnership (12 spots/year) that positions your company as a leader within the Dr. GPCR ecosystem. Gated content, launch campaigns, and strategic co-creation — a mission-aligned collaboration, not a media buy. Apply for a Partnership Spot CRO Bank A curated directory of GPCR-specialized CROs and technology partners. Find the right service provider for your assay, screening, or discovery needs — without wading through generic directories. Explore CRO Bank For enterprise teams and custom engagements. Find the right collaboration model for your program. Book a Strategy Call → Our Core Support Areas Discovery Consulting & Strategy Expert guidance to de-risk projects, refine strategy, and drive scientific progress. Visibility for Solution Providers Strategic media partnerships that connect your company with biotech innovators and showcase your expertise Training & Upskilling Specialized, insight-packed courses designed for discovery-phase GPCR teams. Tools & Resources Ready-to-use frameworks and resources tailored to the realities of discovery-stage GPCR work Our Partners Join these innovative organizations already benefiting from the DrGPCR Foundry. Book Plan Your Next Move in GPCR Discovery Meet directly with Dr. Yamina Berchiche for a focused strategy conversation to align your goals, uncover opportunities, and map your next steps. Let's move your GPCR discovery program forward. Wherever you are in your discovery journey, the Foundry helps GPCR biotech companies move faster and reduce risk. Let's discuss your next step.

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Dr. Kaavya Krishna Kumar About Dr. Kaavya Krishna Kumar "I am a postdoc in Prof. Brian Kobilka's lab at Stanford University, USA. I work on understanding the activation mechanism of different Families of GPCRs." Dr. Kaavya Krishna Kumar on the web Journal of Biology Chemistry Stanford University Google Scholar LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Dr. Thomas P. Sakmar About Dr. Thomas P. Sakmar Tom Sakmar is a physician-scientist and professor at Rockefeller University in New York. While a chemistry undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, he attended a NATO Advanced Study Institute in Les Houches, France in 1979 where he was exposed for the first time to the nascent field of membrane biophysics and intercellular communication. Instructors at the course included Marc Chabre , Harden McConnell , Richard Henderson , Martin Rodbell , Jean-Pierre Changeux , and Martin Karplus . After medical school and clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Tom joined the laboratory of H. Gobind Khorana at the Department of Chemistry at M.I.T. for postdoctoral training, where he learned gene synthesis, cDNA cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, and heterologous expression in mammalian cells. Khorana’s lab made early key contributions and developed strategies to express, reconstitute and assay engineered GPCRs using the visual pigment rhodopsin as a model system. Tom initially focused on structure-activity relationships underlying spectral tuning and identified a glutamic acid residue in rhodopsin that serves as the retinylidene Schiff base counterion. He also went on to discover a “counterion switch” in visual pigments and to develop strategies to assay receptor-G-protein interactions and activation kinetics. After moving to Rockefeller University with a Howard Hughes Medical Institute appointment, Tom advanced a series of novel biochemical and biophysical assay platforms, including FTIR and Raman microprobe spectroscopy to study micro-quantities of expressed visual pigment mutants. This work involved active long-term collaborators, including Richard Mathies and Fritz Siebert , and contributed substantially to elucidating the physical chemistry of spectral tuning, and to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of activation of GPCRs. Many of the conceptual advances that stemmed from this work, such as the concept of “functional micro-domains” and the “helix movement model of receptor activation” were confirmed later when crystal structures became available. Tom’s lab also pioneered the early use of computational homology modeling, molecular dynamics simulations and coarse-grain sampling approaches for membrane proteins in collaborations with Thomas Huber , Xavier Periole , and Siewert-Jan Marrink . Tom’s lab also developed an amber codon suppression method to genetically encode unnatural amino acids into membrane proteins expressed in mammalian cell culture. The genetic code expansion strategy for unnatural amino acid mutagenesis is a key enabling technology for the field and is being used by many laboratories. Early applications included “targeted photo-crosslinking,” and more recently, the parallel development of bioorthogonal labeling strategies to couple fluorophores to expressed receptors and other membrane proteins has allowed the creation of novel sensor constructs and single-molecule detection strategies. Recently, Tom’s lab discovered, along with Yu Chen and Ping Chi , that a mutant of CYSLTR2 is a driver oncogene in uveal melanoma, the most common eye cancer in adults. The CysLTR2 oncoprotein displays biased constitutive activity – it activates Gq/11 but does not undergo β-arrestin-mediated down-regulation. Dr. Thomas P. Sakmar on the web LinkedIn ResearchGate Pubmed ORCHID Google Scholar Rockefeller University Wikipedia Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Explore Martin Marro’s impact on GPCR drug discovery, assay innovation, and translational pharmacology bridging academia, pharma, and biotech. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) GPCR Assay Strategy, Bias, and Translational Drug Discovery This episode features Dr. Martin Marro, currently Executive Director and Head of Cell Pharmacology at Eli Lilly’s Obesity Research Group. Dr. Marro’s career spans big pharma and biotech, encompassing functional assay development, GPCR internalization research, and both small molecule and biologic drug discovery. He discusses his formative scientific experiences, critical decision points moving from academia into industry, and his role leading and shaping multidisciplinary teams for screening and innovative therapeutics targeting metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The conversation explores the realities of using fluorescence-based assays, the challenge of translating in vitro pharmacology to in vivo models, lessons on bias agonism, and novel approaches in antibody discovery for GPCR targets. Dr. Marro’s path highlights the strategic and methodological pivots essential for driving projects into the clinic. For a deeper dive into modern GPCR research and tools, explore more episodes of the GPCR Podcast and discover Dr. GPCR Premium resources. Why This Matters? How advanced assay design is essential for translating cell-based GPCR signals to therapeutic outcomes. Why strategic flexibility in exploring non-canonical signaling pathways is critical for GPCR-targeted drug discovery. What learning from “failed” screens can reveal about receptor pharmacology and species selectivity. The moment when bias agonism and receptor trafficking concepts shifted industry standards for functional assays. How integrating antibody-based modalities has expanded options for hard-to-drug GPCR targets. Why persistent scientific questioning and collaborative networks accelerate GPCR innovation across disease areas. Who Should Listen? This episode is relevant to anyone navigating the complex landscape of GPCR research and translational pharmacology. Those facing disconnects between in vitro functional data and in vivo efficacy in GPCR programs. Researchers refining strategies for high-throughput screening or exploring biased signaling. Teams expanding into antibody or biologic modalities for challenging GPCR targets. Scientists seeking practical advice on career pivots between academia, pharma, and biotech. About Martin Marro Dr. Martin Marro leads the Cell Pharmacology group in the Diabetes, Obesity and Complications Therapeutic Area at Lilly's Seaport Innovation Center in Boston. His scientific training included a PhD at the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, followed by an industrial postdoctoral fellowship at GSK, where he entered the GPCR field and became proficient in aptamer selection and cell signaling assays. Dr. Marro’s career advanced through roles at Novartis and Tectonic Therapeutic, contributing to projects across key therapeutic areas—spanning metabolic, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal diseases. With over two decades in drug discovery, he has established expertise in early phase functional assay development, small molecule and biologics research, and team leadership through high-profile programs. Awarded patents and a proven record in both target and pathway identification, his drive centers on integrating rigorous pharmacology with translational impact while cultivating innovation and scientific growth within his teams. Guest on The Web LinkedIn Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Antony Boucard - the scientist who discovered that a cell adhesion molecule and a GPCR share a black widow spider toxin binding site — on adhesion GPCRs, synapse formation, and building a research program where none existed before. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Antony Boucard: Adhesion GPCRs and the Molecular Code of Synapse Formation Adhesion GPCRs represent one of the most architecturally complex and least understood branches of the GPCR superfamily. Characterized by extracellular domains exceeding 1,000 amino acids, autoproteolytic cleavage at the membrane, and a near-total absence of characterized ligands, these receptors long resisted the molecular tools that made classical family A GPCRs tractable. Only recently has the field established, with confidence, that adhesion GPCRs couple to G proteins at all. Boucard's laboratory at UNAM in Mexico City sits at this frontier. His research centers on the molecular code governing synapse formation — how adhesion GPCRs, working alongside classical cell adhesion molecules, determine which neuronal partners recognize each other and which synaptic contacts stabilize. The work connects receptor biology to neuropsychiatric disease: addiction, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and cancer. The foundation of this program rests on a serendipitous discovery Boucard made in Thomas Südhof's lab — that a cell adhesion molecule and a GPCR, studied separately for over a decade, both bind alpha-latrotoxin from black widow spider venom, and that together they form an intercellular complex no one had previously described. For Boucard, adhesion GPCRs are not simply a research subject. They are the place where everything he has cared about — biochemistry, cell communication, disease, and the students other institutions overlooked — finally came together. About the Guest Antony Boucard is a biochemist and cell biologist who leads the Boucard Laboratory at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, where he has built one of the only research programs in Latin America focused on adhesion GPCRs. He completed graduate training in biochemistry at the Université de Sherbrooke and his postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Thomas Südhof at UT Southwestern and Stanford University, where he made the initial observation linking cell adhesion molecules and GPCRs through their shared binding to alpha-latrotoxin. His current research programs span synapse formation, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and tumorigenesis, applying cell biology, BRET and FRET assays, microscopy, flow cytometry, and custom protein engineering approaches to probe adhesion GPCR function across physiological and pathological contexts. Scientific Themes of the Conversation Adhesion GPCRs as a distinct receptor class — autoproteolytic architecture, orphan status, and the long-delayed confirmation of G protein coupling The molecular logic of synapse formation and how adhesion molecules encode synaptic specificity in the brain Alpha-latrotoxin from black widow spider venom as an experimental bridge connecting cell adhesion molecules and GPCRs Neuropsychiatric disease through the lens of adhesion GPCR biology — addiction, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and cancer The structural bottleneck: what cryo-EM cannot yet capture about receptor dynamics at the cell surface Pioneering a research field in an underrepresented scientific ecosystem, and recruiting from communities elite institutions have historically overlooked Key Insights from the Conversation 1. Adhesion GPCRs Were Not Considered Real GPCRs For decades, adhesion GPCRs were assigned to the GPCR superfamily on the basis of their seven-transmembrane topology alone — not because G protein coupling had been demonstrated. Whether they functionally coupled to G proteins remained genuinely open, and for much of the field's history, skepticism was reasonable. Boucard's work on their signaling capacity in the context of synaptic biology sits at this still-resolving frontier, where the biology is catching up to the structural classification. 2. A Forgotten Sample, a First Paper During his graduate studies, Boucard left an enzymatic reaction on his bench over a weekend — called away for army training — and returned to find results that had eluded the lab for months. He nearly discarded the sample. Running it on instinct, he obtained reproducible data that became his first publication. The pattern established there — outcomes shaped as much by openness as by design — has followed him through every phase of his career since. 3. The Black Widow Toxin Nobody Put Together Working in Südhof's lab on cell adhesion molecules, Boucard made a lateral decision: to test whether one of the proteins he was studying might bind to a GPCR he had no reason to investigate. The interaction was real. On a colleague's suggestion, he recognized that both proteins had independently been shown to bind alpha-latrotoxin from black widow spider venom — but no one had ever asked whether they interacted with each other. They formed an intercellular adhesion complex. Südhof himself was skeptical; the field had studied both proteins for over a decade without making the connection. That discovery became the foundation of Boucard's independent research program. 4. Adhesion GPCRs Open a Pandora's Box Adhesion GPCRs appear across nearly every biological process — from embryonic development to synaptic maturation, from immune cell trafficking to tumorigenesis. Boucard describes this breadth not as an opportunity but as a constraint: the challenge for his lab has been choosing which processes to study rigorously rather than chasing the full landscape. Anchoring the work in synapse formation provides a tractable and biologically meaningful lens, while the transversal logic — that what is learned about adhesion in one context often illuminates another — keeps the research portfolio coherent. 5. The Structural Bottleneck Cryo-EM has transformed understanding of classical GPCR structure, but adhesion GPCRs remain dramatically underrepresented in the structural database. The deeper issue, Boucard argues, is not just the quantity of structures but their nature: every cryo-EM image is a frozen moment, capturing a receptor in one state, in one membrane environment, at one point in time. What the field still cannot do is observe the dynamics of receptor assembly, complex formation, and signaling in real time at the cell surface. That gap is where the most important biology is happening. 6. Choosing Mexico City as a Scientific Bet After postdoctoral and faculty positions at Stanford and UT Southwestern, Boucard surveyed the conventional research markets — North America, Western Europe — and concluded that his skills were not especially scarce there. Mexico City offered something different: a research territory in adhesion GPCR biology that was entirely unoccupied, a massive university drawing students from across Latin America and indigenous communities within Mexico, and a scientific culture where his particular combination of biochemistry, cell biology, and translational thinking could do something that wasn't already being done. Eight years in, he has not reconsidered the decision. Episode Timeline Timestamps were generated with AI assistance from the episode transcript and may not reflect exact segment boundaries. Use them as navigational guides. 00:00 Sponsor intro — GeneTex & Eurofins DiscoverX 00:43 Introducing Boucard: a scientific path that was never planned 01:40 From biochemistry by accident: Sherbrooke, Dallas, Stanford, Mexico City 03:43 The summer lab that changed everything — and why he turned down medical school 10:23 Army service, social work in Nicaragua, and the civil war that reframed resources and risk 16:18 Turning down the medical school acceptance — 25 years of no regrets 22:10 Université de Sherbrooke's industry-integrated curriculum and what it modeled about flexibility 26:06 Surviving crisis in Haiti and what scarcity teaches about choice 31:33 The underground restaurant in San Francisco, born out of an immigration emergency — and Chef's Table Season 2 43:45 Time, focus, and the discipline of 15 minutes a day 52:38 Why Mexico City: building a lab for students no one else was recruiting 01:00:00 Adhesion GPCRs — the receptor family that kept calling him back 01:04:58 The black widow toxin discovery — two proteins, 15 years of prior research, one untested pair 01:06:18 Why adhesion GPCRs are among the hardest receptors to work with, and why structures are finally coming 01:09:10 Synapse formation, addiction, autism, schizophrenia, and cancer: the lab's research logic 01:13:45 Assays: BRET, FRET, microscopy, flow cytometry, and engineering membrane-anchored ligands into solution 01:19:29 The dream tool — a nanoscale camera navigating the cell surface in real time 01:22:24 Advice to junior scientists: don't be afraid to be afraid 01:26:00 Three aha moments: socks, a forgotten sample, and one cold email to a Nobel laureate 01:35:33 Lab openings and where to find the Boucard Lab Selected Quotes "Every single one of my days right now has been just to reconstruct what I learned the day before. That's something that I really love — you kind of put yourself in the mindset of the kid once again." "A lot of people say there's a lot of reasons not to do an experiment. There's a ton. But sometimes you can just do one. And you never know." "I can't believe you won the Nobel Prize. Because at home, he can't even pick up his own socks." — Said to Boucard by a fellow Nobel laureate's wife, at a ceremony at Stanford, following the 2013 prize announcement "If you willingly put yourself in a situation where you're willing to take risks, things will fall into place. But if you never try, you might not know. And whether you're there for a short time or for the rest of your life, you'll have the best time of your life during the time you're doing it." About Dr. Antony A. Boucard Jr. Dr. Antony Boucard joined the Université de Sherbrooke (Québec, Canada) as a B.S. student of the Biochemistry program in 1994 from which he graduated in 1997. It is then that his interest bloomed for the study of GPCRs while joining the group of Dr. Richard Leduc and Dr. Gaetan Guillemette in the Pharmacology department at the Université de Sherbrooke. He completed a master’s degree in 2000 and a Ph.D. degree in 2003 with a particular interest in the cardiovascular system by investigating the structure of the Angiotensin and Urotensin receptors through various biochemical approaches centered in the elucidation of ligand binding pocket determinants. Motivated by a new ambition to study the nervous system, Dr. Boucard pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas where he joined the group of Dr. Thomas Südhof . In this institution dear to the heart of GPCR enthusiasts given that its faculty personnel included Dr. Alfred Gilman , Nobel Laureate for his discovery of G proteins, Dr. Boucard ventured into the field of synaptic adhesion molecules which would eventually prompt him to investigate the role of a peculiar family of GPCRs belonging to the Adhesion subgroup. After a relocation to Stanford University where he pioneered work on ligand discovery for then orphan adhesion GPCRs, Dr. Boucard moved to Mexico City to establish himself as an independent investigator integrating the department of Cell Biology at the Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN). Dr. Boucard´s lab focuses on molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the function of adhesion GPCRs in the formation of synapses. Having a particular interest for a three-member family named latrophilins, his lab seeks to decipher the molecular code instructing adhesion events mediated by these GPCRs. The pharmacology of latrophilins brings about a great deal of challenges given that they are highly polymorphic proteins expressed as various alternatively spliced isoforms thus potentially resulting in differential modulation of cell signaling pathways. His lab highlighted the importance of splicing events in biasing latrophilins’ regulation of cyclic AMP pathways and for determining the magnitude of ligand selectivity. Additionally, his team is also interested in understanding the pathophysiological relevance of latrophilins’ function in neuropsychiatric disorders given their association with genetic susceptibility to the neurodevelopmental disorder known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but also to a comorbid clinical manifestation linked to addiction. He also actively volunteers as an Associate Professor of the non-governmental organization Institut des Sciences, des Technologies et des Etudes Avancées d’Haïti (ISTEAH) to help consolidate higher education in Haiti. Dr. Antony A. Boucard Jr. on the web Website LinkedIn Researchgate Loop Academia Pubmed Adhesion GPCR Consortium University of Haiti Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Dr. Christel Menet About Dr. Christel Menet "I did my Ph.D. in Manchester UK with Prof Jonathan Clayden in organic chemistry. I then started my career at Evotec before moving to Domain Therapeutics (called Faust pharmaceutical at the time). After 2 years, I joined Galapagos where I spent almost 11 years and became head of medicinal chemistry. 6 years ago I decided to take on a new challenge by taking the position of CSO at Confo Therapeutics . I was the 6th employee and today we are more than 60 :) I have fun every day, and I love working with GPCRs. they are such great targets." Dr. Christel Menet on the web Hyphen Projects GPCRS Drug Discovery Confo Therapeutics LinkedIn Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

Find answers to all your questions about the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem: courses, podcasts, memberships, events, and more. Frequently asked questions Webinar University Vault Premium Pricing GPCR Masterclass YC-Biotech YC-VC YC-CRO Terrys Corner Media Partner General University Dr.GPCR Podcast What are GPCR webinars? GPCR webinars are live online scientific sessions focused on G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology, pharmacology, signaling, and drug discovery. Each session explores mechanistic models, translational challenges, and real-world therapeutic implications. These webinars are designed for scientists who want deep, data-driven discussion rather than surface-level overviews. Who should attend these GPCR pharmacology webinars? These webinars are ideal for: GPCR pharmacologists Medicinal chemists working on receptor targets Structural biologists Translational scientists Biotech and pharmaceutical researchers Postdoctoral fellows and graduate researchers entering drug discovery If you work directly with receptor systems, ligand design, efficacy modeling, or signaling pathways, these sessions are built for you. Are these GPCR webinars suitable for industry scientists? Yes. The content is highly relevant for biotech and pharmaceutical scientists. Topics frequently address: Receptor efficacy and bias Allosteric modulation PK/PD relationships Irreversible binding and safety considerations Translational pharmacology challenges The discussions are grounded in practical drug discovery, not just academic theory. How are these different from academic seminars or conferences? Most academic seminars focus on a single dataset or publication. These GPCR webinars focus on conceptual frameworks, models, and translational insight that apply across programs. Unlike large conferences, the live format allows direct interaction, questions, and scientific debate in real time. The goal is not presentation — it is scientific advancement. Are the webinars live or pre-recorded? The sessions are delivered live to allow direct Q&A with the speaker. Live participation gives you the opportunity to ask technical questions and engage in discussion with other scientists in the GPCR community. Selected recordings may be available afterward through the Dr. GPCR platform. Do I need prior knowledge of GPCR pharmacology? These webinars are designed for scientists with foundational knowledge in receptor pharmacology, signaling, or drug discovery. While some sessions may introduce key concepts, the overall level is advanced and assumes familiarity with pharmacological models and terminology. What topics are typically covered in GPCR webinars? Topics may include: Receptor efficacy and operational models Allosteric modulators (PAMs and NAMs) Biased agonism Dose–response modeling Calcium and signaling assays Drug–receptor kinetics Translational pharmacology strategies GPCR structure–function relationships Each session focuses on mechanistic clarity and practical application. Are these GPCR webinars free? Yes. All live GPCR webinars are free to attend. To receive early notifications, event reminders, and priority updates, you can join the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem as a free member. If you would like to go deeper beyond the live sessions, you can explore the full GPCR educational library inside Dr. GPCR University. Will attending help with continuing education or professional development? Yes. These webinars are designed to support ongoing scientific development in GPCR pharmacology and drug discovery. They provide exposure to current thinking, advanced modeling approaches, and expert interpretation of complex receptor behavior. For researchers working in biotech, pharma, or academia, this type of continuing education can strengthen both technical expertise and strategic thinking. How often are new GPCR webinars added? New live GPCR webinars are added regularly as part of the Dr. GPCR Ecosystem’s ongoing educational initiative. Upcoming sessions are announced in advance and updated on this page. Where can I find advanced GPCR training online? Dr. GPCR provides live GPCR webinars, masterclasses, and in-depth educational resources focused specifically on receptor pharmacology and drug discovery. These programs are designed for scientists seeking advanced, mechanism-focused training in GPCR biology.

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) 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 Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

< Back to Webinars 📅 Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 3:00:00 PM UTC 🤝 Webinar in collaboration with: Celtarys Research Fluorescent Probes for GLP-1R and GIPR Imaging: From Cell Assays to In Vivo Systems Fluorescent tools for imaging endogenous incretin receptors across biological systems Interrogating Incretin Receptor Biology Across Biological Complexity GLP-1 and GIP receptors have emerged as central targets in metabolic medicine, yet their precise localization, nanodomain organization, and functional engagement within complex biological systems remain incompletely understood. Fluorescent chemical probes offer one of the most direct approaches for investigating receptor distribution and dynamics in native contexts — without relying on receptor overexpression or genetic modification. This webinar introduces two families of advanced fluorescent probes developed specifically for working with endogenous GLP-1R and GIPR across a range of biological complexity. Attendees will gain a technical understanding of probe design, selectivity, and validated applications — as well as practical guidance on handling, reconstitution, dilution, and storage to support immediate laboratory deployment. LUXendin Family Red and far-red fluorescent GLP-1R antagonists derived from Exendin4(9–39). Enable high-specificity labeling of endogenous GLP-1R in live and fixed cells, pancreatic islets, and whole-organ preparations — without triggering receptor activation. Available across multiple spectral ranges for confocal, super-resolution, and intravital imaging. daLUXendin Family Fluorescent dual agonists for both GLP-1R and GIPR (daLUXendin544+ and daLUXendin660+), structurally related to tirzepatide. Enable simultaneous visualization of endogenous receptor localization and nanodomain organization in pancreatic islet cells and neural sites of action in vivo. Speakers Dr. Johannes Broichhagen Group Leader Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP), Berlin Dr. Broichhagen trained in chemistry at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, completed his doctorate at LMU Munich in 2014, and undertook postdoctoral work at EPFL (Switzerland) and the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (Heidelberg). Since 2020, he leads an independent research group at the FMP Berlin. His group focuses on the development of chemical tools — including fluorescent ligands and photopharmacological compounds — to investigate GPCR biology with spatial and temporal precision. He is a principal architect of the LUXendin and daLUXendin probe families. Dr. David Hodson Robert Turner Professor of Diabetic Medicine Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford Dr. Hodson is a veterinary surgeon by training who pursued postdoctoral studies at the CNRS in Montpellier before establishing his independent laboratory at Imperial College London as a Diabetes UK RD Lawrence Fellow. He previously served as Professor of Cellular Metabolism and Institute Deputy Director at the University of Birmingham. His research group develops and applies novel technologies to investigate GLP-1 and GIP receptors — two class B GPCRs central to glucose homeostasis, food intake regulation, and inflammation — within complex tissue environments including the pancreas and brain. His work carries direct translational relevance to diabetes and obesity therapeutics. Organizers Celtarys Research Celtarys develops and commercializes fluorescent chemical tools and related screening services that enable fluorescence-based methods across drug discovery. The company's portfolio is built around high-affinity, selective fluorescent ligands for GPCRs, supporting researchers working at the interface of chemical biology and pharmacology. Broad GPCR fluorescent ligand portfolio across multiple receptor families Fluorescence Polarization, HTRF, and High-Content Screening formats Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry applications Screening services using proprietary probes in living cells Custom chemical development for probe and ligand creation Dr. GPCR Dr. GPCR is a membership-based nonprofit ecosystem dedicated to advancing GPCR-targeted drug discovery. It provides curated industry intelligence, expert-led masterclasses, and structured engagement opportunities for scientists and biotech leaders working across pharmacology, translational research, and therapeutic development. Curated intelligence on GPCR drug discovery trends and developments Expert-led webinars and masterclasses with leading researchers Structured networking for scientists and biotech professionals Nonprofit model — community-first, member-driven Free membership tier available Previous Webinar Next Webinar Don’t Miss the Next Live Session Dr. GPCR membership gives you access to all upcoming live, interactive webinars. Free. Takes less than a minute to join. Cancel anytime. Sign Up for Free

Dr. Paul Insel explains how unbiased GPCR expression profiling uncovered overlooked receptors in cancer — and why the field may need to rethink which GPCRs matter most. << Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Paul Insel: Unbiased Discovery and the GPCRs We've Been Missing The GPCR field has produced thousands of studies on a small number of well-characterized receptors. But what if the ones that matter most in human disease are the ones we haven't prioritized? Dr. Paul Insel's lab at UC San Diego has pursued this question using unbiased expression profiling — GPCR arrays, RNA-seq, and single-cell analysis — to catalog which receptors are actually highly expressed across human tissues and disease states. In pancreatic cancer, proton-sensing GPCRs such as GPR68 are dramatically upregulated in cancer-associated fibroblasts, creating feedback loops between the tumor microenvironment and stroma that may drive disease progression. Across 45 cancer types, numerous GPCRs show elevated expression without corresponding mutations — a pattern the mutation-centric oncology paradigm has largely missed. For Dr. Insel, this shift began with a single dataset — a postdoc's unbiased expression profile showing the most abundant receptor in a normal human cell type had almost no literature behind it. Listeners will gain perspective on how asking broader questions about receptor biology can reshape drug discovery priorities. About the Guest Dr. Paul Insel is Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. His research spans four decades of GPCR signaling, from cyclic AMP and adrenergic receptor biology to purinergic receptors and, most recently, proton-sensing GPCRs in the tumor microenvironment. His lab combines bioinformatic analysis of GPCR expression across human cancers with wet-lab validation in animal models, particularly in pancreatic cancer. Dr. Insel also directs UCSD's MD-PhD Medical Scientist Training Program, a role he has held for over 30 years. Scientific Themes of the Conversation Unbiased receptor discovery — Why hypothesis-free expression profiling reveals GPCRs that decades of targeted research missed GPCRs in the tumor microenvironment — Proton-sensing receptors, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and the role of low pH in tumor signaling Drug repurposing through receptor mapping — Identifying already-approved drugs that target overexpressed GPCRs in cancer Reductionism vs. native cell biology — The limits of studying purified components and the case for understanding receptors in intact cellular environments Biased signaling in practice — Why the promise of biased agonism is more complicated than the field hoped Breadth as a scientific strategy — How reading across disciplines and resisting premature narrowing drives discovery Key Insights from the Conversation 1. The biggest discoveries came from asking what was being overlooked Dr. Insel's late-career pivot began with a deceptively simple question: are we studying the right GPCRs? When his lab ran unbiased expression profiles on normal human cells, the most highly expressed receptor — PAR1 — had almost no functional literature behind it. Nature had placed it at the top; science had barely looked. 2. Proton-sensing GPCRs create a feedback loop in pancreatic cancer GPR68 is dramatically upregulated in cancer-associated fibroblasts — not the cancer cells themselves. The tumor signals fibroblasts to raise GPR68 expression, and the low pH of the tumor microenvironment then activates that receptor, which signals back to promote cancer survival. It is a positive feedback loop that exploits the acidic environment tumors naturally create. 3. GPCRs are overexpressed across dozens of cancers — without mutations A large bioinformatic study from Dr. Insel's lab examined GPCR expression across 45 human cancer types and found widespread over expression without corresponding increases in copy number or mutation frequency. This challenges the mutation-centric framework that dominates oncology and suggests GPCRs may contribute to pathophysiology through expression changes alone. 4. The field's reductionism may be hiding how receptors actually work Dr. Insel has long argued that purifying receptors, depleting GTP, and stabilizing conformations through mutations teaches us about components — not about how cells actually use them. He compares the biochemist's approach to smashing a television with a wrecking ball and trying to reassemble the pieces to understand how it works. 5. Biased signaling is real but harder to exploit than expected GPR68 couples to both Gq and Gs, and the functional effects in cancer-associated fibroblasts appear to run primarily through Gs. In principle, biased antagonists could selectively block the disease-relevant pathway. But Dr. Insel is cautious — signaling bias operates on a conformational continuum, and clinical translation has not yet matched the elegance of the concept. 6. A career redirected by a dinner and an empty schedule In 1975, Dr. Insel was the only unmarried scientist at a dinner with Al Gilman. The group needed someone to visit Gilman's lab to learn radioligand binding — and he was the one with nothing else to do. That accidental assignment launched a career in GPCR signaling that has now spanned over four decades. 7. The "unknown unknowns" should change how we fund and train scientists Dr. Insel believes the training system pushes young researchers to narrow too early, at the cost of the cross-disciplinary thinking that leads to real discoveries. His own career has been shaped by reading broadly and importing ideas from other fields — a strategy he sees as increasingly essential as GPCR biology intersects with cancer, immunology, and systems biology. Episode Timeline 00:00 Introduction and context 01:08 Dr. Insel's path from medicine to molecular pharmacology 05:15 The origin story — dinner with Al Gilman and the start of a GPCR career 09:06 Evolving receptor loves: from adrenergic to purinergic to proton-sensing GPCRs 13:19 Proton-sensing GPCRs: what they are and why they matter 16:18 GPR68 and the feedback loop in pancreatic cancer 19:46 Challenges of targeting GPCRs in oncology — funding, skepticism, and the mutation paradigm 25:05 AI, in silico screening, and the limits of computational drug discovery without structures 31:33 Biased signaling: promise, complexity, and caution 35:00 The case against reductionism — why native cell biology matters 38:05 Advice for young scientists: think broadly, resist narrowing too fast 42:14 Aha moments — the data that changed the direction of a lab 47:30 The future of the GPCR superfamily and the work still to be done Selected Quotes "I said, which receptors are the highest expressed? And the answer was PAR1, the thrombin receptor. So I did what anyone would do — I looked up what's known about it. And the answer was nothing." "We don't know what we don't know. And I think that's been a real driver for how I've approached the last several years of my scientific effort." "If you ask a biochemist how does a television work, he would probably take a wrecking ball to it and then try to piece all the little parts back together." "Nature decided, for reasons that none of us will ever probably know for sure, that GPCRs should be the largest receptor membrane family. And there's still a lot to be learned." About this episode In 1975, Dr. Paul Insel was at the FASEB experimental biology meeting in Atlantic City. During dinner with colleagues and Alfred Gillman , co-recipient of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of G-proteins and their role in signal transduction in cells, Paul was designated to go to Gillman’s lab . That summer, he used radioligand binding methods to dissect receptor function from the adenylyl cyclase activated by ligands, including adrenaline. From that point on, Paul was hooked and has since studied receptor function in human physiology, receptor molecular pharmacology in cells, and animal models, and as he puts it has now he’s "gone full circle" back to studying GPCRs important in human pathophysiology. Today, Paul and his team focus on previously unrecognized receptors with the hopes to use these as novel drug targets. Dr. Paul Insel on the web Insel Laboratory Institute of Engineering in Medicine UC San Diego UCSD Profiles Google PubMed Dr. GPCR Ecosystem Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Dr. Caron Tribute Part 2 About Marc Caron Dr. Caron and his family moved to Durham, NC in 1977, following receipt of his BSc in Chemistry from Laval University and his Ph.D. from the University of Miami. He joined the faculty of Laval University School of Medicine in 1975 and then returned to join Duke’s faculty, where he remained as a James B. Duke Professor until his death. He and his laboratory members studied the mechanisms of action and regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters and how they might underlie brain and behavior disorders such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, mood disorders, and addiction. Among his many honors, Dr. Caron was an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 1992 to 2004, a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the Julius Axelrod Award. An authoritative and prolific scientist, with over 650 scientific publications, he is most beloved as a mentor and his relentless encouragement that shaped the careers of hundreds of scientists worldwide. About our panelists in alphabetical order and the year they first met Dr. Caron Dr. Larry Barak (1994) Dr. Kathleen Caron - Co-host- (1970) Dr. Steve Ferguson (1995) Dr. Neel Freedman (1994) Dr. Jacob Jacobson (2003) Dr. Stephane Laporte (1999) Dr. Stuart Maudsley (1997) Dr. Richard Premont (1993) Dr. Jie Zhang (1990) Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>

<< Back to podcast list Strategic Partner(s) Murat Tunaboylu & Ben Holland About Murat Tunaboylu "Murat Tunaboylu, Antiverse's CEO, has a software engineering and bioinformatics background. Mid-career, he has worked in finance and developed high-frequency trading systems. After switching to biotech, Murat has built cell imaging software and lab robots to accelerate cancer research and automated Thermo Fisher Scientific’s gene synthesis workflows. He has co-founded consultancy and biotech companies Svarlight and Antiverse. His current focus is to realise Antiverse’s mission: engineering the future of drug discovery." Murat Tunaboylu on the web Antiverse DSV Future of Drug Discovery Podcast Twist Bioscience LinkedIn Twitter Dr. GPCR About Ben Holland "Ben gained his masters in Engineering Science from Oxford, taking a specialisation in information engineering. Following this, he joined an early-stage medical device start-up and in 5 years was responsible for project R&D and managing a focused development team, pursued international strategic partnerships, managed IP matters, helped establish a manufacturing line in Malaysia and is named as inventor on several patents. He then returned to information engineering and has been working in machine learning for nearly 10 years, applying it to antibody generation, analysis, and property prediction since 2017" Ben Holland on the web Antiverse The Antibody Society YT LinkedIn Twitter Dr. GPCR Unlock the Full Dr. GPCR Learning Ecosystem ✔ Full Masterclass library ✔ Terry's Pharmacology Corner ✔ Advanced GPCR courses ✔ Scientific discussions → Become Premium Upcoming Live Expert Sessions ➚ 🔒Explore the Full Masterclass ➚ 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 Thanks for listening to this podcast episode Follow us on your favorite Podcast Player << Previous Podcast Episode Next Podcast Episode >>