Meet Inspiring Scientists at the ASPET Annual Meeting

THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2:00 PM

Understanding Anti-Science: Why Scientists Should Learn History

The COVID pandemic has brought a stark reminder of the difficulties in convincing the public of scientific facts that conflict with their ideology. An examination of the history of anti-science shows that the patterns that obtained during the pandemic were the same as those that occurred during controversies around evolution, smoking, ozone, and climate change. These patterns are driven by politics but also by the dogma within science to remain objective. To prevent similar episodes in the past, the scientific enterprise needs a reckoning about how consensus within science is managed.

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 9:00 AM

The VHL Tumor Suppressor Protein: Insights into Oxygen Sensing and Cancer

This keynote address will describe new drugs emerging from studies of the VHL tumor suppressor protein (pVHL), which is usually defective in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). pVHL forms a ubiquitin ligase that targets the alpha subunits of the HIF transcription factor for proteasomal degradation provided they are prolyl hydroxylated by the oxygen-sensitive EglN (also called PHD) 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG)-dependent dioxygenases. HIF2α promotes ccRCC and HIF1α inhibits ccRCC in preclinical models. An allosteric HIF2α inhibitor has advanced to Phase 3 testing in sporadic ccRCC and was recently approved for the treatment of VHL Disease. Conversely, drugs that stabilize HIF are being developed for the treatment of anemia and ischemic diseases (e.g., heart attack and stroke). Dr. Kaelin’s team also recently showed that GPR35 agonists are protective in ischemic models. He will describe their recent efforts to identify new cancer targets based on synthetic lethality and to find protein degraders for “undruggable” oncoproteins.

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 8:00 AM

Translating Addiction: Neurobiological Insights to Risk and Therapeutic Interventions

Decoding the neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders such as addiction is critically linked to expanding knowledge obtained from the human brain which can inform targeted treatments. The continued opioid epidemic highlights the important need for the development of novel non-addictive, non-opioid medications. The talk will provide molecular insights gained from post-mortem investigations of human opioid users and complementary mechanistic animal studies that identify specific neurobiological marks that offer druggable targets for opioid addiction including aspects of cannabinoid strategies.

2023 Awardees

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 8:00 AM

Conversations with ASPET Awardees

Join us for an inspiring panel interview featuring our major awardees. Hear about their personal career journeys and what advice they have for scientists at the beginning of their careers with ASPET. We’ll also get a peek at where their science is headed next. The invited panel includes the Abel Awardee, Carrie Ferrario; Axelrod Awardee, Walter Koch; Lehr Research Awardee, Lynette Daws; Pharmacia-ASPET Awardee, Ian Blair; Ruffolo Awardee, David Sibley; Spector Awardee, Kathleen Giacomini, and Weiner Award Lecture, Daniela Salvemini.

SUNDAY, MAY 21, 9:00 AM

Julius Axelrod Lecture and Symposium: Melatonin

Receptors: Molecular Pharmacology and Role in the Modulation of Circadian Disorders

Our 2022 Axelrod Awardee, Margarita Dubocovich has gathered a distinguished group of speakers to complement her Axelrod Award Lecture titled “MT1 and MT2 Melatonin Receptors as Targets for Drugs Modulating Circadian Rhythms.” In addition to the award lecture, the symposium will feature Drs. Ralf Jockers (France), Gloria A Benítez-King (Mexico), and David E. Blask (USA) who will address the molecular and neuropharmacological mechanisms of melatonin receptor function, and the potential of novel melatonin receptor ligands to treat circadian disorders, depression, cancer, and type 2 diabetes among other conditions and diseases.