Thursday, May 16
Friday, May 17
Saturday, May 18
Sunday, May 19
Colloquium May 19-20
At ASPET’s first session of our newly designed Annual Meeting, you will receive a warm welcome to your home for pharmacology. Learn what’s been planned for our weekend together, celebrate our history and what’s ahead for the Society, meet someone new, find an old friend and engage in a spirited discussion.
Featuring a keynote by Marie A. Bernard, MD, NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity*
Learn why diversity in science is important in fostering creativity and innovation. Gain insight into NIH's people-centric and data-driven efforts to increase diverse voices and equity in science. Dr. Bernard will share the conceptual framework and data underlying NIH’s pursuit of diverse perspectives. She will also describe three major initiatives to advance diverse perspectives: the NIH DEIA Strategic Plan, Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD), and the NIH UNITE initiative. (Disclaimer: No endorsement of ASPET, their programs or services, by NIH is intended.)
Experience the daily ASPET datablitz, a rapid-fire oral presentation of research. Each day 10 poster presenters will give three-minute short talks in the poster hall. These brief snippets of research are an introduction to their full presentations that will take place at their poster boards afterwards. You won’t want to miss this fast-paced overview.
Enjoy a drink and snacks while exploring the latest science or presenting it yourself! Posters are grouped by divisional topic area and every night includes student and postdoc finalists competing for poster awards. Hear their presentations and discuss the latest research advances.
Embark with ASPET on an espionage adventure at the International Spy Museum in DC! Test your spy skills and explore the tradecraft through the stories of individuals and their missions, tools, and techniques. The exhibits will be open exclusively for ASPET attendees as well as the top floor ballroom for post-exhibit mingling and snacks. Immerse yourself in the interactive exhibits, reconnect with old allies, and forge new connections. As we kick off our long weekend dedicated to pharmacology, join us for an unforgettable blend of intrigue, knowledge, and camaraderie!
Enjoy breakfast while learning about the latest updates on ASPET activities and initiatives.
Government Leadership Panel on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative
Featuring leaders from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), this panel will discuss the critical work occurring in various parts of the federal government focused on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Moderated by Julie Lade, PhD, Scientific Associate Director with Amgen, panelists will share how their agency has contributed to the fight against cancer, what their future initiatives in this area will focus on to drive progress across the cancer journey and how their work will impact the field of pharmacology.
Moderator: Julie Lade, PhD - Amgen
MEET THE PANELISTS
Tamy Kim, PharmDDirector for Regulatory Affairs and Regulatory PolicyU.S. Food and Drug AdministrationJames H. Doroshow, MDDirector, Division of Cancer Treatment and DiagnosisNational Cancer Institute, NIHMelissa Antman, PhDDeputy Director, PATIOAdvanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
Enjoy a cup of coffee while learning about the unique products and services offered by our exhibitors.
The purinergic receptors (adenosine, P2X and P2Y) are implicated in conditions of the nervous and immune systems. Adenosine is an endogenous agent for suppressing seizures, ischemic damage and pain while ATP and other nucleotides often act as DAMPs and are proinflammatory. These receptors and the enzymes that regulate endogenous activators have numerous definitive tool compounds as well as druglike clinical molecules. For example, adenosine agonists and P2Y receptor antagonists are efficacious in models of pain, cerebral ischemia and epilepsy. P2X7 receptor antagonists reduce depression. Recently developed highly selective or biased modulators provide new opportunities for drug development.
CHAIRS
SPEAKERS
The last two decades have led to an explosion of information and increased understanding of protein S-acylation, a reversible posttranslational modification (PTM) of proteins with fatty acids at cysteine residues. Advances in mass spectrometry and chemical biology have uncovered a human palmitoylproteome of several thousand proteins. This dynamic PTM is installed by S-acyltransferases and erased by protein acyl thioesterases. Its functional importance in a variety of physiological settings has been uncovered and revealed significant changes in S-acylation patterns under pathological conditions. Hence there is growing interest in the S-acylating and deacylating enzymes as pharmacologic targets.
Prediction of potential toxicity is vital in both drug development and chemical regulation. However, chemical and drug-induced toxicity prediction remains a challenging problem. In recent years, a slew of artificial intelligence (AI) approaches, prominently machine and deep learning, have vastly improved the scope and accuracy of predictive toxicology. The specific areas in which these approaches have been used range from quantitative structure-activity relationships to single-cell based prediction of tissue-specific perturbations in gene expression. The overall objective of this session is to highlight some applications of AI in toxicity prediction, featuring case studies in integration of big data, machine learning for prediction of drug-induced liver injury, confidence in toxicity prediction, and predictive toxicology in a regulatory context. The session will be of interest to a broad spectrum of practitioners and trainees from across industry, regulatory agencies, and academia.
The “Guppy Tank” competition showcases translational science pitches from four ASPET trainees who were selected based on the novelty and translational potential of the project.The selected finalists were personally coached for the final presentation by mentors with established experience in the biotechnology or drug development space. In addition, this event features a keynote discussion by a rising scientific entrepreneur, whose novel drug discovery platform exemplifies translating an idea from the bench to business. This session will be an exciting and essential educational opportunity for ASPET trainees to hone their translational scientific communication skills while getting publicly recognized for their talents by the broader ASPET community.
This session will present cutting-edge, cross disciplinary research on advancing precision medicine in ethnically diverse populations, especially among understudied ethnic and genetic ancestry populations. A key question that will be addressed is what are best practices, challenges, and opportunities for the use of population descriptors (e.g., race, ethnicity and ancestry) in translational ADME-Tox and precision medicine research? The theme of this session will center around the impact of gene-environment interactions on drug disposition, efficacy and toxicity. The session will include short presentations by subject matter experts followed by an interactive panel discussion.
Alternative messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing regulates the function of most protein coding genes. Aberrant mRNA splicing that prevents protein production or causes the translation of a protein that cannot function properly has been associated with many devastating diseases including muscular dystrophies, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer. Therefore, understanding the role of alternative splicing and how it can be targeting will have an impact on a broad spectrum of diseases. The goals of this session are to demonstrate this through talks on alternative splicing as a therapeutic target in leukemias that harbor mutations in the splicing machinery as well as to improve cell function by targeting protein expression in neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy.The value of collaboration between academic and industry research teams will also be discussed.
Subcellular integration of signaling pathways has been recognized to occur at various organelles in adult cardiomyocytes, leading to previously unrecognized mechanisms for modulating contractility, hypertrophy and survival. These pathways can be activated in response to various stimuli, including neurohormone signaling and ischemic stress. Expert speakers in this field will discuss their recent findings in organelle-localized signaling processes regulating cardiomyocyte function and stress.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonists have gained broad popularity as effective therapeutics for glycemic and weight control, and due to their involvement in satiety signaling in the brain, these compounds have promise for regulating compulsive eating disorder. GLP-1Rs are highly concentrated in areas of the brain involved in reward seeking and avoidance, consistent with their role in meal termination and satiety. Interestingly, drugs of abuse also engage these reward and avoidance circuits, thus raising the question of whether GLP-1R agonists could induce drug satiety. During the past decade, there have been numerous preclinical efforts to explore the therapeutic potential of GLP-1R agonists in substance use disorders, from nicotine to alcohol, stimulants, and opioids. In this panel, we will review some of the basic preclinical findings that established the feasibility of using GLP-1R agonists as addiction therapeutics, as well as the progress of current trials that examine their potential clinical efficacy.
Drug overdose-related deaths are increasing worldwide. The marked escalation in drug use, abuse, and overdose is driven, in part, by rapidly evolving illicit drug markets. This symposium will feature research investigating emerging drugs of abuse, including novel compounds that are not well-characterized as well as more widely known drugs that have taken on new roles in recreational/non-medical drug use. This session will highlight the contributions of rigorous pharmacological research toward understanding emerging drugs of abuse. In turn, it is expected that these characterizations can be leveraged toward developing more effective detection, prevention, and treatment approaches.
The NLRP3 inflammasome has been recognized as the intracellular machinery to switch on the inflammatory response in a variety of mammalian cells. Recently, oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein with pyrin domain containing 3 (Nlrp3) is found to detect endogenous stress-associated danger signals such as beta-amyloid, visfatin, gut microbial metabolite TMAO, ATP, cholesterol crystal and homocysteine to produce local tissue sterile inflammation. Many studies on Nlrp3 inflammasomes have highlighted the implication of their formation and activation in the pathogenesis of autoinflammatory diseases and various chronic metabolic or degenerative diseases including diabetes mellitus, gout, acute myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, glomerular sclerosis, and Alzheimer disease. Recently, a new concept is emerging that activation of various inflammasomes is the root of or route to many chronic degenerative diseases. It is believed that inflammasomes will take center stage in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, vascular inflammation, cardiac remodeling and associated end-stage organ diseases. Recent studies have revealed the novel mechanistic insights for targeting inflammasomes and developing novel therapeutic strategy for treatment and prevention of various cardiovascular diseases.
Join us for a dynamic symposium hosted by the ASPET IDEA Committee that explores the multifaceted realm of pharmacology education. This concise yet impactful session will delve into transformative teaching methodologies, effective student retention and learner engagement strategies, and the imperative journey toward fostering inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) within the discipline. Participants will learn strategies for effectively embedding IDEA principles in pharmacology education in compliance with federal and state requirements and identify best practices for cultivating inclusive environments.
Who Will Benefit: This session is tailored for pharmacology educators, researchers, administrators, policymakers, and anyone dedicated to enhancing pharmacology education. Attendees will gain valuable insights and practical takeaways.
Learning Objectives: Transformative Education: Gain a solid grasp of transformative education theory and critical pedagogy to discover their direct applications in pharmacology education.
Student Retention: Explore key student retention and learner engagement educational theories by influential scholars like Tinto and Arroyo and Gasman. Learn actionable strategies to enhance student success within pharmacology programs.
IDEA and Compliance: Understand the significance of DEIA initiatives in pharmacology education and the necessity of compliance with federal and state requirements. Identify best practices for cultivating inclusive environments.
Expectations: We anticipate an engaging and concise symposium featuring expert speakers and an interactive discussion panel. By the session's conclusion, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to revolutionize their approach to pharmacology education, boost student engagement and contribute to a more inclusive and compliant educational landscape.
Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring experts from government agencies, government relations and ASPET. Panelists will (1) explore how policy experts work with scientists, administrators and policy makers to collaborate in the process of rule-making that impacts biomedical research, (2) discuss ASPET's approach to identifying science policy priorities to advance pharmacology and biomedical research, and (3) describe the career journeys that led them from research roles to the policy arena.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Shehnaaz Suliman, M.D., MPhil, MBA
What's Next in Biotech? Where We Are and Where Are We Headed
Dr. Shehnaaz Suliman is the CEO of ReCode Therapeutics. This genetic medicines company is powering the next wave of genetic medicines through tissue-specific lipid nanoparticle delivery. Dr. Suliman will discuss the relevant trends in biotech and pharma, specifically areas of research focus for companies and patient interest. She will also highlight how small companies approach drug discovery and development and how they support the broader development ecosystem. Dr. Suliman is a physician, drug-developer and company-builder who has played a leading role for over 25 years in transforming high growth companies. She is also a nationally acclaimed female business leader and advocate for healthcare equity and access.
Division for Pharmacology Education
While the use of technology in healthcare and medical education continues to increase, the recent and rapid rise of the public use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots has propelled us into the future faster than expected. Generative AI chatbots bring time-saving benefits but also present concerns around accuracy, academic integrity and the loss of creativity. Regardless of what we do, these easily accessible tools will revolutionize what we teach and how we teach it. In this workshop, we will review different AI options that can be used in pharmacology education and classroom settings, explore the benefits and challenges of using AI and discuss how to optimize AI to create and improve pharmacology educational materials. By the end of this workshop, participants can:
This session features a talk by Dr. Michael A Nader, Ph.D., the 2024 winner of the PB Dews Lifetime Achievement Award for Research in Behavioral Pharmacology. In addition, current, and former mentees of Dr. Nader will present data highlighting the important application of behavioral pharmacology principles to the study of substance use disorders and in vivo drug action in rodents and nonhuman primates.
This session will feature a talk from the B. B. Brodie Award winner and two talks from the authors of the best papers of 2023 from Drug Metabolism and Disposition who received the James R. Gillette Awards in pharmacokinetics/transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes. The session will also include abstract-based oral presentations from graduate students and postdoctoral fellows focused on drug metabolism and disposition.
This session will feature a keynote talk by the Susan B. Horwitz Awardee. The award is named in honor of Dr. Horwitz who is a pioneer in understanding the mechanism of action of cancer chemotherapy drugs many of which have been and remain mainstays of cancer therapy and whose work has changed the nature of cancer treatment. In addition, this session will showcase oral presentations by young scientists, featuring both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the area of cancer pharmacology.
The session is designed to shed light on the extraordinary hurdles encountered by pharmacologists operating in developing regions, including limited resources, diverse patient populations and unique regulatory and geopolitical environments. Through insightful short presentations and a panel discussion, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of each region’s unique challenges and the innovative strategies and solutions developed by these pharmacologists to advance research and improve healthcare outcomes, while also providing valuable networking opportunities for the presenters.
PANELISTS DISCUSSION
This session will feature oral presentations from young scientists selected from the submitted abstracts as well as talks by the winners of the Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Early-Career Awards.
This session will highlight oral presentations by young scientists doing research in drug discovery and development who were selected from the submitted abstracts. Additionally, the session will feature a keynote from the 2024 Scientific Achievement in Drug Discovery and Development awardee.
This session will feature oral presentations from postdoc finalists selected from the submitted abstracts as well as a talk by the winner of the Division for Neuropharmacology Early-Career Award.
This session is hosted by the ASPET Mentoring and Career Development (MCD) Committee. The goal of this session is to engage pharmacologists from all career levels to a general discussion on leadership and why it is important to engage. Using both short presentations and round table discussions, the expert panelists will provide attendees with the principles of leadership and take-home resources. The focused table discussions will include elements of leadership, leadership models, barriers to leadership positions and different kinds of leadership paths.
FOCUS AREAS AND PANELISTS
This session will feature the Trainee Showcase oral presentations by young scientists, featuring both graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. It will also feature presentations by winners of the division’s Early-Career and Mid-Career Awards.
Awardees and speakers to be announced.
This award competition features oral presentations from postdoctoral trainees selected from the submitted abstracts as well as a keynote lecture from the winner of the ASPET Division for Molecular Pharmacology Early-Career Award.
Speakers to be announced.
Today there is an increasing demand for qualified manuscript reviewers which is driving the request for peer review at earlier stages of a career. However, there is no formal training in peer-review at any stage of an academic career. The tasks, duties and role of an Associate Editor or Editor within a journal are also at times unclear.
At the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET), we must play a role in preparing the next generation of reviewers, and there is an unmet need for comprehensive reviewer training, especially for scientists. This session provides more advanced training geared towards the editorial process by describing the strategy we have taken at JPET to close the gap for this unmet need by provided more formal training for our early-career scientists through the JPET editorial fellowship.
Communication between transmembrane receptors and kinases is fundamental to human health and disease. For many years receptors were thought to signal to kinases almost exclusively through conventional second messenger pathways and phosphorylation cascades. In this Symposium, we highlight recent studies from both new and established investigators that are challenging this traditional view, revealing a striking diversity in the biochemical and cell biological mechanisms that underlie receptor-kinase signaling. These mechanisms include direct GPCR-kinase interactions, physical scaffolds localized to discrete subcellular compartments, and distance-dependent regulation of intracellular kinase pools by intracellular GPCRs. Together, these studies represent a new frontier in receptor-kinase signaling research – one that helps to explain how receptor-kinase signaling leads to a diverse set of functional outputs and biological outcomes, and also provides new ideas about how therapeutically modulate this signaling to improve health outcomes.
Technological advances enabling the visualization of activated receptors and signaling molecules at high spatiotemporal resolution are transforming our concepts of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. In addition to the plasma membrane, GPCR signaling can occur in subcellular compartments including endosomes and Golgi. Because cellular location determines function, the spatial dimension of receptor signaling allows for GPCRs to have multiple cellular functions. This panel will present explorations into this new frontier in GPCR signaling, addressing questions of the functional relevance of compartmentalized signaling and how spatial bias of GPCR and cAMP signaling can be leveraged to develop novel therapeutics.
Co-Sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacology
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are poised to be transformational technologies in multiple aspects of pharmacology, enabling researchers to utilize real-world data to better inform key decisions at multiple stages of the drug discovery and development process. In particular, the application of these technologies to the disciplines of translational and clinical pharmacology could have a tremendous impact on both target identification and drug development. This session will provide a broad set of perspectives on potential applications of AI/ML in pharmacology, covering how it could be used to (1) facilitate reverse translational efforts/target discovery using existing data sets; (2) make dose recommendations and predict drug interactions and adverse reactions; (3) and to optimize the exposure, safety, and efficacy of drugs. By covering practical examples of how AI/ML can be applied, this session will provide a thought-provoking overview of the utility of these technologies in pharmacology.
Brian Shoichet, PhD
Following the Rabbit into Chemical Space
Dr. Brian Shoichet is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco. Recently, docking libraries have expanded from three million “in-stock” to billions of make-on-demand (“tangible”) molecules. Docking these new libraries has revealed novel scaffolds with nM and sub-nM potencies directly from the docking. Dr. Shoichet will discuss recent applications to several targets where in vivo active leads have been developed for analgesia and for metabolic control. In the Shoichert Lab, scientists are developing new computational methods for ligand discovery and applying these to G-Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCR).
G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) play key roles in global homeostatic signaling in several organs and tissues. Accordingly, they are emerging as important targets in pathological conditions. GRK2 and GRK5 have been gaining attention for the role in the cardiovascular system; however, more recently, both have been implicated in disease outside of the heart as well. This innovative symposium will cover novel aspects of both GRKs in health and pathology with a focus on cardiometabolic health and include the latest in small molecule inhibitor design and translation.
Examining the challenges and opportunities in translating bench science to clinical applications is imperative for effectively translating novel scientific discoveries. This session will identify the gaps that bridge laboratory research to a successful drug or life science technology development program. Discussions will include strategies that could enable effective partnership formation, intellectual property considerations and technology transfer.
Gamification is a powerful strategy to enhance student engagement, motivation, as well as learning outcomes. In this session, different gamification approaches to engage health professional students will be demonstrated with an interactive presentation and hands on approach. Attendees will learn about the basics of game-based learning including the elements and attributes of successful gamification and general tips for game design. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore how to gamify autonomic nervous system pharmacology using simulated tracings, develop escape rooms, and create case-based thought process/decision making games. Attendees will be able to work in small groups to experience and discuss various interactive games. This session is suitable for anyone who is interested in gamifying their pharmacology sessions. By the end of this symposium, the participants can:
CHAIR
The ability of membrane transporters to influence perinatal health has emerged as a crucial area that has been largely overlooked by researchers. To meet this demand, NIH launched the Transporter Elucidation Network in 2023. This network will address knowledge gaps and develop novel technologies to assess the transport of nutrients, supplements toxicants, and drugs to the fetus and infant. Studies are focusing on the placenta, lactating mammary gland, and the developing blood-brain barrier and gut. Collectively, this network is advancing and validating translational approaches to study the function and regulation of human SLC and ABC transporters.
Over the last 50 years, NIDA has supported generations of basic and clinical scientists who have advanced our understanding of substance use disorders to improve public health. ASPET members have been pioneers of NIDA-funded research in the substance use disorder field. This symposium will showcase recent clinical and preclinical findings from ASPET members as we celebrate the beginning of NIDA’s next 50 years. They will discuss their latest findings from opioid, cannabinoid and psychostimulant research using molecular, behavioral and clinical/translational approaches to support NIDA’s mission. Presentations will feature pertinent topics and techniques like sex differences in clinical populations, deep sequencing, and opto- and chemogenetic tools to explore substance use on many levels.
This symposium session embodies the spirit of inquiry, exploration and innovation by introducing the transformative the Innovation and Design for Exploration and Analysis in Teaching Excellence (IDEATE) model with an added objective of incorporating AI into pharmacology teaching, learning and educational scholarship. IDEATE provides a structured framework to nurture creativity and innovation in teaching and learning practices. We will highlight how the IDEATE model, augmented by artificial/augmented intelligence (AI), seamlessly integrates into the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) within pharmacology education. This session invites participants to embark on a journey of discovery, emphasizing the following key aspects: Creating a Community of Practice, Innovative Pedagogy and Career Advancement.
The successful translation of a biomedical discovery to a commercial product is dependent on many factors, including adequate intellectual property (IP) protection. From early-career scientists exploring novel therapeutic targets to established researchers with commercialization in sight, all benefit from understanding the fundamentals of IP rights and protections. This session will provide a brief introduction to key IP concepts for biomedical researchers, including public disclosure, invention utility, non-obviousness and prior-ART. This will be followed by an in-depth, moderator-led, panel discussion with technology transfer experts from government, industry and academia. The expert panel possesses decades of technology transfer experience, with both research and legal backgrounds, and is well-equipped to discuss the nuances of IP protection in translational drug discovery research and explore unique challenges facing academic to clinical translation in this interactive session.
SPEAKER
Join us for this exciting session of cross-divisional lightning talks.
Celebrate our Scientific Achievement Awardees and see who has won Poster Awards!
Join ASPET and the Academic Drug Discovery Consortium (ADDC) as they host the 3rd Academic Drug Discovery Colloquium. The Colloquium runs from 3:00 pm on Sunday, May 19 through 5:00 pm on Monday, May 20. It is a separate registration fee but you can sign up for both the annual meeting and colloquium at same time.
Learn more at www.aspet.org/colloquium.
Team science starts here! Meet your future collaborators in drug discovery. Be a part of the Colloquium that bridges today’s research discoveries to tomorrow’s therapies.
Pharmacologists, medicinal chemists, drug discovery scientists, in vitro/in vivo scientists, DMPK experts, trainees and scientists from industry, academia, contract research organizations, biotech, pharma, research institutes, accelerators/incubators, foundations, and government with an interest in drug discovery area are all welcome.
3:00 pm – 5:15 pm | Colloquium Keynote and Opening Session
5:15 pm – 7:15 pm | Colloquium Poster Presentations
8:30 am – 5:00 pm / Colloquium Program
Apr
Online VIP award lectures and division town halls
May
16-19
ASPET Annual Meeting in Arlington, VA
19-20
ADDC/ASPET Colloquium