Short Course

Allosteric Modulators of GPCRs, (PAMs NAMs)

 

Tuesday, June 9 | 2:00 – 5:00 pm

 

The course will provide an overview on allosteric modulation of class A, B and C GPCRs: screening, molecular pharmacology, signal bias, medicinal chemistry and development challenges. For each of these areas, we will cover the theory and best practices while delving into case studies to highlight key challenges and caveats.

Instructor Bios:

 

Corey Hopkins, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Dr. Corey Hopkins is an experienced and highly trained medicinal chemist who has extensive experience in all aspects of medicinal chemistry (hit-to-lead, lead identification, lead optimization, SAR, ADME, pre-IND studies). Dr. Hopkins has been involved in small molecule drug discovery in both industry and academia for more than a decade. During his graduate work, he worked on the total synthesis of complex natural products, synthetic methodology development, and pharmacophore profiling for Cdc25 phosphatase inhibitors. As a medicinal chemist with Sanofi Pharmaceuticals he was a key contributor on a number of projects within the CNS, skeletal and inflammatory related therapeutic targets, such as multiple sclerosis, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis; culminating in several projects advancing into development status. Dr. Hopkins is currently the Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry for the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, the Co-Director, Vanderbilt Specialized Chemistry Center for Accelerate Probe Development and an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry.

Cody J. Wenthur, Pharm. D., Graduate Student, Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Cody earned his Doctorate in Pharmacy from Purdue University in 2011. While there he worked with V. Jo Davisson as the Carroll County Cancer Center research fellow, developing fluorescent dye conjugates of geldanamycin for use as in vivo imaging and proteomics tools. He also analyzed the structural and functional role of serotonin transporter transmembrane domain VII in ion-dependent transport with Eric L Barker, as the John B. Data research fellow.

In 2012, Cody joined the Lindsley lab to pursue a Ph.D. in Pharmacology. He is interested in developing novel small molecules for type II metabotropic glutamate receptors, and using these tools to better understand the underlying role of glutamate modulation in synaptic plasticity and neurodegeneration. He is also currently a licensed pharmacist in Indiana and Tennessee, and hopes to use his combination of clinical and laboratory experiences to better inform future treatment of CNS disorders, particularly schizophrenia and addiction.