Dr. GPCR Podcast

Lefkowitz was told in 1973 that hormone receptors were a figment of his imagination. The work that proved otherwise became the molecular foundation of GPCR pharmacology. Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz traces the full arc of GPCR discovery — from developing the first radioligand for the beta-adrenergic receptor to purifying it, cloning it, and watching a sequencing run reveal structural homology w...

Most GPCR antibody failures are silent. The signal looks clean, the band is there, the experiment moves forward - until someone runs a knockout control and the signal is still there. Lin and Ball have spent years building reagents for exactly this problem, and this conversation gets into the details of what reliable GPCR antibody characterization actually requires. Chia-Yi Lin and Alexander Ball a...

Most receptors come with a history. Remulate came with a name — and almost nothing else. Dr. Beatriz Redondo, group leader at the University of Leipzig, has spent the last nine years building the first systematic characterization of adhesion GPCRs in Drosophila, including three receptors so new they were named after condiments. What she's constructing isn't just a receptor profile — it&#39...

What if two nearly identical GPCRs make a worse chimera than two receptors from completely different classes? Charlotte Crauwels is building computational tools to find out why — and to predict which designs will work before they reach the bench. Crauwels develops in silico pipelines for chimeric GPCR design at the Free University of Brussels. Her work sits at the interface of computational predic...

Every beta-2 agonist ever tested for muscle growth hits the same wall: desensitization. Dr. Tore Bengtsson built one that doesn't. A professor at Stockholm University and founder of Atrogi, Dr. Bengtsson has spent 25 years studying how beta-adrenergic receptors regulate metabolism, muscle, and brown fat. His lab developed 1,500+ compounds that activate beta-2 through distinct signaling pathway...

Dr. Joseph Kim solved cryo-EM structures of mu and kappa opioid receptors bound to the same small molecule — and found it does something different at each one. In this conversation, Dr. Kim walks through his transition from cryo-electron tomography to GPCR structural biology in Ashish Manglik's lab at UCSF, the strategy behind solving inactive-state receptor structures, and why his favorite GP...

How does ligand binding at the extracellular pocket of a GPCR reshape signaling on the intracellular side? Biased agonism is often measured through pathway activation assays, but the structural origin of ligand bias remains difficult to trace. Can molecular simulations reveal the communication routes that link ligand binding to G protein or arrestin signaling? In this conversation, computational b...

Conserved neuropeptide Y GPCRs orchestrate both feeding and mating behaviors in mosquitoes, with direct translational parallels to human gut-brain signaling. Quick Summary Learn how receptor internalization and neuropeptide GPCR signaling underlie the regulation of mosquito host-seeking and reproduction. Dr. Laura Duvall details the use of CRISPR-based assay development and fluorescence-driven phe...

Key Takeaways How does the precise localization of GPCRs in lipid rafts reshape drug discovery strategy? Examine implications for functional assays and therapeutic innovation. Explore the pivotal role of GPCR-lipid raft compartmentalization in receptor signaling, desensitization, and pharmacology research. Dr. Keyvan Sedaghat discusses assay approaches, regulatory mechanisms, and the translational...

Episode Summary Potent in vitro hits often fail in vivo—Martin Marro details how robust assay choice and pathway deconvolution can revive GPCR drug discovery programs. Listeners will learn practical approaches to assay development for GPCR drug discovery, the pitfalls of calcium readouts, and how identifying pathway bias impacts translational success. Dr. Marro shares his experience bridging in vi...

GPCR tools don’t move the field forward unless researchers can actually use them. This episode breaks down how collaboration turns probes into progress. Summary In the final episode of this series, David Hodson, Johannes Broichhagen, and Maria Majellaro unpack how academic labs and Celtarys Research partnered to scale fluorescent probes, improve assay development, and support gpcr drug discovery....

Chemical probes are reshaping how we map GLP-1R in real time — revealing receptor pools antibodies can’t reliably capture. This is Episode 2 of a 3-part GPCR tool-development series created in partnership with Celtarys Research . Summary: Dr. Johannes Broichhagen aka JB breaks down the design logic behind fluorophore-linked peptides, assay trade-offs, and what true receptor internalization looks l...

Precise receptor mapping is reshaping how we understand incretin biology. David Hodson explains how GPCR-targeted chemical probes reveal where GLP-1 and GIP receptors actually signal across pancreas and brain—and what this means for metabolic drug design. Learn how these tools refine gpcr drug discovery, clarify receptor internalization, and guide next-gen therapeutics. 🎓 Join Dr. GPCR Premium fo...

What makes Monash a model for modern pharmacology? Dr. Michelle Halls reveals how collaboration, mentorship, and receptor organization shape today’s GPCR breakthroughs — from femtomolar signaling to cancer biology. A look inside a lab culture built on precision, openness, and impact. 👉  Watch the complete episode: https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/leadership-luck-and-gpcr-signaling...

Predicting, not just explaining, can change how we design GPCR-targeted drugs. Jens Carlsson reveals how modeling bridges structure, function, and pharmacology. Hear how predictive simulations shape assay development, GPCR drug discovery, and collaborations across disciplines. 🎓 Join Dr. GPCR Premium for exclusive episodes + research tools → https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/gpcr-university-pricin...

🔬 What if you could track GPCR internalization—no wash, high-throughput, and in endogenous systems? Discover how Dr. Eric Trinquet and Revvity built pH Sense, a next-gen fluorescence assay that redefines receptor internalization workflows. Learn assay trade-offs, tool design, and how to decode GPCR behavior with precision. 🎓 Join Dr. GPCR Premium for exclusive episodes + research tools → https:/...

What if a failed med school plan led to a biotech breakthrough? Ajay Yekkirala shares how GPCRs, AI, and scientific curiosity are reshaping pain therapeutics — and what it really takes to build better medicines. Watch the video version of this podcast episode: What if a failed med school plan led to a biotech breakthrough? Ajay Yekkirala shares how GPCRs, AI, and scientific curiosity are reshaping...

When fentanyl slows your breath and xylazine traps it, the clock starts ticking. PhD candidate Catherine Demery takes us inside her fight to understand how fentanyl and xylazine shut down breathing in different ways—work that blends GPCR pharmacology, animal models, and real-time street data to combat the opioid crisis. Watch the video version of this podcast episode: Ep 172 with Catherine Demery

Watch the video version of this podcast episode. https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/ep-171-with-alessandro-nicoli --------------------------------- Become a #DrGPCR Ecosystem Member --------------------------------- Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us are healthy. The #DrGPCR Ecosystem is all about dynamic interactions between us working towards exploiting the druggabili...

Watch the video version of this podcast episode. https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/ep-170-with-dr-alex-serafini --------------------------------- Become a #DrGPCR Ecosystem Member --------------------------------- Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us are healthy. The #DrGPCR Ecosystem is all about dynamic interactions between us working towards exploiting the druggabilit...

Watch the video version of this podcast episode. https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/ep-169-with-dr-sokhom-pin --------------------------------- Become a #DrGPCR Ecosystem Member --------------------------------- Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us are healthy. The #DrGPCR Ecosystem is all about dynamic interactions between us working towards exploiting the druggability o...

Watch the video version of this podcast episode: https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/ep-168-with-dr.-maria-majellaro-from-celtarys Visit Celtarys' website in the Ecosystem: https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/celtarys-research-dr-gpcr-ecosystemRead the DrGPCR x Celtarys Partnership Press Release: https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/post/dr-gpcr-and-celtarys-research-join-forces-to-expan...

Watch the video version of this podcast episode. https://www.ecosystem.drgpcr.com/dr-gpcr-podcast/ep-167-with-tom-sakmar-%26-ilana-kotliar --------------------------------- Become a #DrGPCR Ecosystem Member --------------------------------- Imagine a world in which the vast majority of us are healthy. The #DrGPCR Ecosystem is all about dynamic interactions between us working towards exploiting the...

Episode 166 of the Dr. GPCR Podcast features Benjamin Clements, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, who brings fresh insight into the therapeutic promise of GPCRs — particularly in the context of opioid pharmacology. With a background in pharmaceutical sciences and neuroscience, Ben now focuses on positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) targeting the mu-opioid receptor, aiming to pr...

In this episode of the Dr. GPCR Podcast, we step outside the lab to talk about what keeps research-driven organizations running behind the scenes: finance and operations. Yamina Berchiche is joined by Joe St. Germain and Chuck DeWeese from Company Launch Partners to discuss the real-world challenges of building startups and nonprofits—including Dr. GPCR itself. Joe shares his leap from corporate f...