Michigan Pharmacology

10/01/2025

It’s Discovery Research Week! Every day, the bold work of our U-M researchers and scientists points the way to life-changing treatments and cures patients and families need. Visit

From September 29 to October 5, 2025, we invite you to join us for Discovery Research Week to celebrate and support our scientists and learners who lay the groundwork for the medical breakthroughs of tomorrow.

09/29/2025

Three pharmacology students worked on the fourth edition of the student-run science and art magazine, EquilibriUM. Claire Shudde was an editor-in-chief, Krista Goerger wrote a short story from the perspective of a platelet traveling around the body, and Oanh Luc wrote and illustrated a comic on science and art sparking curiosity.
You can read the magazine online in the below link, or look for physical copies in the media room in a few weeks.

In this piece, I explored the neural network concept by connecting it to artistic and emotional aspects of the human experience: music, group dance, and a sense of community and interconnectedness…

09/24/2025

Pharmacology representing at Swim to the Moon (featuring Rich Auchus and Laurie Svoboda)

09/23/2025

Pharmacology Retreat 2025 - Fox Hills Golf and Banquet Center

09/23/2025

09/19/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Paul Jenkins, Dr. Lia Min, and more) was recently published in Nature. The paper, “CRISPR activation for SCN2A-related neurodevelopmental disorders” can be found here:

Most neurodevelopmental disorders with single gene diagnoses act via haploinsufficiency, in which only one of the two gene copies is functional1. SCN2A haploinsufficiency is one of the most frequent causes of neurodevelopmental disorder, often presenting with autism spectrum disorder, int...

09/19/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Tingzhen Shen and more) was recently published in Molecular Pharmacology. The paper, “The thiazolidinedione drug troglitazone inhibits Gq signaling through direct binding to the Gq alpha subunit through inhibition of GDP release” can be found here:

The cycle of GTP binding and hydrolysis controls heterotrimeric G proteins, and mutations reducing GTPase activity result in constitutive G protein signaling. In Gαq (gene: GNAQ) such mutations cause uveal melanoma and Sturge-Weber syndrome. Finding pharmacological agents that inhibit Gαq will be ...

09/19/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Ramos-Mondragon and more) was recently published in JCI Insight. The paper, “Altered cardiac excitability and arrhythmia in models of SCN1B-linked developmental and epileptic encephalopathy” can be found here:

Biallelic variants in SCN1B, encoding the voltage-gated sodium channel β1/β1B subunits, are linked to DEE52, a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with a high risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). DEE52 patients present clinically with Dravet syndrome or the more severe early...

09/19/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Lori Isom and more) was recently published in Epilepsy & Behavior. The paper, “Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Summit: Recommendations and priorities for clinical action, awareness, public health and epidemiology, and basic science” can be found here:

Advancements in SUDEP awareness, education, epidemiology, and causal mechanisms require interdisciplinary collaborative approaches between funding agencies, advocacy groups, providers, and researchers; and the development of new partnerships. More work remains to achieve the recommendations from the...

09/17/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Farzanna Mohamed, Dr. Alan Smrcka, and Dr. Emily Jutkiewicz) was recently published in Molecular Pharmacology. The paper, “Biasing G protein βγ subunit downstream signaling enhances the analgesic effects of endogenous opioid receptor agonists during nitroglycerin-induced thermal hypersensitivity” can be found here:

μ-Opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are a mainstay in acute pain management. However, they also produce adverse effects and are frequently misused, increasing susceptibility for opioid use disorder. Thus, a strategy for improving the safety of opioid analgesics is needed. Gallein-mediated inhibition o...

09/17/2025

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Yukun Yuan and more) was recently published in JCI Insight. The paper, “Ataxia and cerebellar hypoexcitability in a mouse model of SCN1B-linked Dravet syndrome” can be found here:

Patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) present with severe, spontaneous seizures and ataxia. While most patients with DS have variants in the sodium channel Nav1.1 α subunit gene, SCN1A, variants in the sodium channel β1 subunit gene, SCN1B, are also linked to DS. Scn1b null mice model DS, with sponta...