Young Scientist Research Series – Part 1:
Molecular Pharmacology Postdoctoral Award Competition
Tuesday, August 11, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET

Hear cutting-edge presentations that report new insights into the regulation of 7-transmembrane receptor cellular signaling that regulate novel pathways in health and disease. Pharmacologists interested in neuropharmacology, cancer pharmacotherapeutics, and drug design and development will have the opportunity to learn about new strategies and opportunities in translational pharmacology, precision medicine, and systems physiology and pharmacology.

This blue ribbon award-winning research is from several post-doctoral fellows from the ASPET Division for Molecular Pharmacology who will compete for a spot on the division’s executive committee.

Audience participation is encouraged via questions submitted to the Q&A before and during the talk, as well as continued general or individual discussion via ASPETConnect. The Postdoctoral Award Competition will be judged by Molecular Pharmacology Executive Committee members and serves as a venue to introduce promising young scientists to the greater ASPET community.

Moderators:

Angeline M. Lyon, PhD – Purdue University
Allyn C. Howlett, PhD - Wake Forest School of Medicine

Speakers:

Wen-An Pan, PhD - University of California, San Diego 
“a-arrestin ARRDC3 is a Multifunctional Adaptor That Regulates G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signaling and Breast Cancer Invasion”

Hannah M. Stoveken, PhD - Scripps Research Institute
“GPR139 Signals Through Gq/11 to Oppose Mu Opioid Receptor Signaling”

Ya Zhuo, PhD - Medical College of Wisconsin
“Identifying β-arrestin1 Conformational States by a Non-GPCR Binding Partner”

View session recording
on ASPETConnect

Young Scientist Research Series – Part 2: Behavioral Pharmacology Postdoctoral Award Competition 
Thursday, August 27, 2020, 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm ET

This session will showcase the work of four postdoctoral fellows who are engaged in cutting-edge research in behavioral pharmacology. They were selected based on abstracts submitted for the ASPET Annual Meeting at EB 2020.  This session will provide a virtual venue to introduce these promising young scientists to the greater ASPET community, and to allow them to compete for a spot on the Division for Behavioral Pharmacology’s executive committee.

Each speaker will have 10 minutes to present their work, with audience participation encouraged during 5 minute Q&A periods following each talk, as well as continued general or individual discussion via ASPETConnect. Members of the Division for Behavioral Pharmacology Executive Committee will judge the presentations, with a single Behavioral Pharmacology Postdoctoral Award presented at the culmination of the session.    

Moderators:

Greg Collins, PhD - University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Vanessa Minervini, PhD - Creighton University

Speakers:

Ewa Galaj, PhD - National Institute on Drug Abuse
“Beta-caryophyllene, a Volatile Phytocannabinoid, Attenuates Cocaine Self-administration and Relapse in Rats”

Fernando de Moura, PhD - Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital
“Receptor Mechanisms in Nicotinic Enhancement of Opioid Antinociception”

Meghan Hibicke, PhD - LSU Health Sciences Center
“One Dose of Psilocybin in Late Adolescence Mitigates Deleterious Effects of Developmental Stress on Cognition and Behavioral Despair in Adult Female Rats”

Laura Erwin, PhD - McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School
“Discriminative Stimulus Effects of (R)(-)-DOI and AM8936, a Synthetic Cannabinoid”

View session recording
on ASPETConnect

Young Scientist Research Series – Part 3: Cardiovascular Pharmacology Trainee Showcase

Tuesday, September 29, 2020, 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm ET

This session will highlight the cutting-edge research of two graduate students and two postdoctoral fellows from the ASPET Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology. The speakers were selected from the abstracts submitted for the ASPET Annual Meeting at EB 2020 after a rigorous review by the Competition Committee of the division. This virtual session will provide the talented young scientists an opportunity to showcase their work to the ASPET community and allow them to compete for the first-place award in each category.  

Each speaker will present a 10-minute talk, followed by a 5-minutes interactive Q and A session, during which audience participation will be encouraged. Members of the Competition Committee and Executive Committee of the Cardiovascular Pharmacology division will evaluate the presentations. The first- and second-place awards in each category have been sponsored by the Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs. 

Moderators: 

Swapnil K. Sonkusare, PhD - University of Virginia

Claudio de Lucia, MD, PhD - Temple University 

Lisa Green - University of Cincinnati

Speakers:  

Juan Azcona, MS - New York Medical College
“Novel Contributions of Neutrophil-derived Myeloperoxidase and Hypochlorous Acid to 20-HETE Production that drives Post-Ischemic Angiogenesis”

Hanan Qasim, Pharm - University of Houston
“Cardiac AKAP12 Signalosome Overexpression Exacerbates Isoproterenol Induced Heart Failure”

Wael Eldahshan, PhD - University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
“Stimulation of Angiotensin II Receptor 2 Preserves Cognitive Function Post Stroke and is Associated with an Enhanced Cerebral Vascular Density in Female Rats”

Yin Cai, PhD - The University of Hong Kong
“Loss of Repressor Activator Protein 1 Precipitates Cardiac Aging in Mice via p53/PPARα Signaling”

View session recording
on ASPETConnect

Young Scientist Research Series – Part 4: Neuropharmacology Showcase

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET (Webinar)
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm ET (Q&A with Speakers on ASPETConnect)

The ASPET Division for Neuropharmacology’s young scientist showcase features Dr. Erin Calipari, the 2020 Neuropharmacology Early Career Award Winner, and five postdoctoral finalists selected from EB 2020 abstracts. Dr. Calipari sets the tone for the session describing innovative approaches to understand differences in behavioral responses to psychostimulant drugs between male and female mice that underlie learning, memory, reward processing and motivation. Each 6-minute flash talk by the five postdoctoral fellow finalists touches upon one or more of those important functions. Using a combination of behavioral, cellular and/or molecular approaches, they examine the contributions of GPCR and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling to pathological/dysregulated outcomes. 

This webinar will run for 1 hour and all speakers will be available for a half hour afterwards to answer your questions on ASPETConnect. Be sure to join the “ASPET Focus on Pharmacology” community in ASPETConnect and set your notifications to “real-time” to participate.

Chair:

Kelly M. Standifer, PhD - Univ of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, OU Health Sciences Center

Speakers:

Erin Calipari, PhD – Vanderbilt University
“Divergent Molecular Adaptations in the Striatum Control the Transition to Addiction in Males and Females”

Moriah Jacobson, PhD – Uniformed Services University
“Protracted Effect of Ketamine Require Immediate Kappa Opioid Receptor Activation and Long-lasting Desensitization”

Sean Collins, PhD – University of Cincinnati, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
“Blast-induced traumatic brain injury elicits sociability deficits and aggressive behaviors coinciding with transient variations in CNS 5-HT levels and 5-HT2-hypersensitivity”

Farhana Sakloth, PhD – Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai
“RGSz1 Actions in the Periaqueductal Gray Modulate Opioid Reward and Analgesic Tolerance”

Sarra Djemil, PhD – Georgetown University
“Activation of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Induces Potentiation and Synchronization Within in vitro Hippocampal Networks”

Alicia J. Avelar, PhD –The Scripps Research Institute and University of California San Diego (previously Marshall University)
“Effects of Nicotine+morphine on Reward-related Behavior and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Regulation in Mouse Midbrain”

View session recording
on ASPETConnect

Young Scientist Research Series – Part 5: Tribute to Cancer Pharmacology Young Investigators

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm ET

The Division for Cancer Pharmacology will be highlighting cutting edge research presented by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.  The speakers were selected from the abstracts submitted for the ASPET Annual Meeting at EB 2020 and received top scores after rigorous review by the Competition Committee of the division. 

This virtual session will reveal novel discoveries made by these young investigators such as how mutations of Gαs subunit of G protein couple receptors cooperate with mutant KRAS, a novel pharmacologic approach to selectively target mutant KRAS lung cancers, identification of a novel agent that suppresses breast cancer metastasis by inhibiting a deregulated transcription factor complex, and new mechanistic insight into how FLT3 kinase inhibitors disrupt abnormal metabolism to suppress acute myeloid leukemia viability.

Each speaker will have 10 minutes to present their work, with audience participation encouraged during 5 minute Q&A periods following each talk, as well as continued general or individual discussion via ASPET Connect. Links to their abstracts are below.

Chairs: 

Christine Canman, PhD - University of Michigan Medical School

Andrew Thorburn, DPhil - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Jack Yalowich, PhD – The Ohio State University

Speakers:

Hengbo Zhou, PhD – Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (currently at MGH/Harvard Medical School)
“Novel Small Molecule Compound Disrupts the SIX1/EYA2 Complex and Inhibits Breast Cancer Metastasis”

Vrushank Bhatt, MS – Rutgers University
“Autophagy Inhibition Sensitizes Liver Kinase B1 (LKB1)-Deficient Kras-Driven Lung Tumors to MEK Inhibitor Trametinib”

Megan Zavorka Thomas, PhD – The Ohio State University
“Gilteritinib Inhibits Acute Myeloid Leukemia Growth via Reduction in Glutamine Uptake and Utilization”

Dana Steffen, BS – University of California, San Diego
“Gαs (GNAS) Suppression of the p53 Genomic-stability Checkpoint Unleashes RAS-driven Oncogenesis”

View session recording
on ASPETConnect