Michigan Pharmacology

04/29/2026

We are pleased to share that Dr. Arianne Caudal has accepted our offer to join the Department of Pharmacology and the Stanley and Judith Frankel Institute for Heart and Brain Health as a tenure track Assistant Professor!

Dr. Caudal currently serves as Instructor in the Cardiovascular Institute at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Her research program focuses on defining cardiometabolic protein interactions in health and disease. She was awarded a NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, which will facilitate the start-up of her new laboratory at Michigan.

Welcome, Dr. Caudal!

04/29/2026

Congratulations to our Michigan Pharmacology faculty colleague, Dr. Emily Scott!

Congratulations to Dr. Scott on being named the College’s 2026 Distinguished Mentor Award recipient! 🌟

From guiding nearly 80 trainees to building a supportive, high-achieving research community, Dr. Scott’s impact reaches far beyond the lab.

Read more: https://bit.ly/41PMR1R

04/29/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Francisco Sanchez-Conde and more) was recently published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. The paper, “Sudden death-associated KCNH2 variants exert opposing effects on a nuclear subdomain of the cardiac potassium channel hERG1” can be found here:

Human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene 1 (hERG1) nuclear peptide (hERG1NP) is a recently discovered nonconducting subdomain of the full-length hERG1 channel that is expressed in the nuclei of developing cardiomyocytes. From the nucleus, hERG1NP modulates the gating and expression of...

04/29/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Matt Brody and more) was recently published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. The paper, “G protein Gαq subunits engage targets in the nucleus involved in chromatin remodeling and gene expression” can be found here:

Gαq is a critical mediator of cell and tissue responses to Gq-coupled receptor stimulation. Canonically, active Gαq regulates PLCβ and RhoGEFs. To identify novel Gαq signaling partners, we performed a proximity labeling proteomic screen in HEK293A cell...

04/29/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Alexander Powell and more) was recently published in ACS Chemical Biology. The paper, “Investigating Opioid Receptor Activity through Biocatalytic Halogenation and Oxidation of Mitragynine” can be found here:

The development of safer opioid therapeutics remains an urgent challenge, given the limitations and adverse effects of current μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists. Natural products such as mitragynine, the predominant alkaloid from Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), provide structurally complex scaff...

04/29/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Julien Sebag and more) was recently published in Endocrinology . The paper, “FGF21 targets pathways which enhance insulin sensitivity in brown adipose but not skeletal muscle in mice” can be found here:

Acute pharmacological administration of the endocrine hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) enhances insulin sensitivity. This acute insulin-sensitizing effect of FGF21 is mediated through direct signaling to brown adipose tissues. Since skeletal muscle is an important site of insulin-stimulat...

04/29/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Frank Kwarcinski and more) was recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . The paper, “Self-cleavage-dependent and -independent functions of Adgrg1/Gpr56 in mice” can be found here:

Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (AGPCRs) regulate essential physiological processes through interactions between their ectodomains and adjacent cell surface proteins or extracellular matrix components (ECM). AGPCRs distinctively arrive at the plasma membrane as self-cleaved holoreceptors with n...

04/21/2026

The Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS), a non-profit membership association of translational scientists from the nation’s leading academic medical centers, honored its Fellows at Translational Science 2026.

UM Pharmacology is pleased to announce that Michael Holinstat, PhD was recognized as a 2026 Fellow of ACTS.

This year, ACTS launched the Fellows of ACTS (FACTS) program. FACTS is a premier membership program for individuals who have made substantial contributions to and service within the clinical and translational science field. FACTS recognizes those who are an essential part of the clinical and translational community. This inaugural application process was rigorous and competitive, with 36 individuals selected from ACTS’ almost 6,000-person membership.

"The Fellows of ACTS program recognizes those whose impact on the clinical and translational space and the Association for Clinical and Translational Science is undeniable. The fellowship celebrates the work of the entire translational science community—from researchers to administrative staff. These fellows and their contributions truly embody the values and mission of ACTS for innovation, team science and community. We are pleased to celebrate their achievements and impact at Translational Science 2026” said ACTS President Allan R Brasier, MD.

The Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) uniquely provides an outstanding platform for enhancing education, research, and public policy related to clinical and translational science. ACTS members consist of leaders, investigators, and trainees from academic medical centers, government, industry, and philanthropy. ACTS focuses on four realms: research, education, advocacy, and mentoring. Additional information is available at the ACTS website at www.actscience.org.

04/20/2026

The University of Michigan is recruiting tenure-track faculty with research interests in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Drug Discovery. Please see our job posting here:

University of Michigan seeks three tenure-track faculty positions in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Drug Discovery.

04/15/2026

UM Pharmacology NCAA Tournament Bracket Pick-em Championship Results!

Women's Tournament Challenge:
Sondra Auerbach and her bracket finished in 1st, 80 points ahead of Krista Goerger. Sondra finished an amazing #11,813 in the world to finish in the top 99.7%!!! Very impressive!

Men's Tournament Challenge:
Mike Holinstat and his bracket finished in 1st, 20 points ahead of Liz Peckham. Mike finished #101,745 in the world to finish in the top 99.6%! Also quite impressive!

Congrats, Sondra and Mike!

04/15/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Lori Isom on winning the 2026 Cinda Sue Davis STEM Equity Leadership Award. This University-wide award is given by WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) to "an inclusive leader who has, throughout their time as a member of the University of Michigan community, worked consistently to make STEM an accessible path for all learners who want to pursue degrees and careers in science, engineering, or math."

04/13/2026

Please join the department in welcoming Dr. Jay (Zhe) Zhang to Pharmacology!

Dr. Zhang will be a visiting scholar in the Isom lab for the next two years. He is a resident physician in the Department of Neurology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. He graduated with honors in 2015 from the College of Life Sciences at Peking University, earning a Bachelor of Science. In 2019, he received his Doctor of Medicine from the School of Medicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He is currently a neurology resident physician at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Dr. Zhang’s research interests include genetic mechanisms of epilepsy, and the role of neuro-immune mechanisms in epilepsy. His clinical interests focus on dizziness and vestibular disorders, epileptology, and hereditary neurological disorders. Dr. Zhang has published several research papers and, as a Co-Principal Investigator, has led multiple clinical research projects.

Welcome, Dr. Zhang!