The Pharmacologist December 2016

the

A Publication by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Pharmacologist Vol. 58 • Number 4 • December 2016

Inside: 2016 Year in Review 2017 Election 2017 Annual Meeting Program

Cortisone: A Miracle with Flaws

The Pharmacologist is published and distributed by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Contents 179 Message from the President 182 2016 Year in Review 184 2016 Contributions 185 2017 Election 189 Annual Meeting at EB2017 199 Feature Story: Cortisone: A Miracle with Flaws 211 Meeting News 212 Science Policy News 217 Education News 220 Journals News 222 Membership News 224 Members in the News 230 Division News 238 Chapter News

THE PHARMACOLOGIST PRODUCTION TEAM Rich Dodenhoff Catherine L. Fry, PhD Dana Kauffman Judith A. Siuciak, PhD Suzie Thompson COUNCIL President David R. Sibley, PhD President-Elect John D. Schuetz, PhD Past President Kenneth E. Thummel, PhD Secretary/Treasurer Charles P. France, PhD Secretary/Treasurer-Elect John J. Tesmer, PhD Past Secretary/Treasurer Dennis C. Marshall, PhD Councilors Wayne L. Backes, PhD Carol L. Beck, PharmD, PhD Margaret E. Gnegy, PhD Chair, Board of Publications Trustees Mary E. Vore, PhD Chair, Program Committee Scott A. Waldman, MD, PhD FASEB Board Representative Brian M. Cox, PhD Executive Officer Judith A. Siuciak, PhD

The Pharmacologist (ISSN 0031-7004) is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995. Annual subscription rates: $25.00 for ASPET members; $50.00 for U.S. nonmembers and institutions; $75.00 for nonmembers and institutions outside the U.S. Single copy: $25.00. Copyright Š 2016 by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Inc. All rights reserved.

Periodicals postage paid at Bethesda, MD. GST number for Canadian subscribers: BN:13489 2330 RT. ASPET assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions advanced by contributors to The Pharmacologist.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Pharmacologist, ASPET, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814-3995.

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Message from

The President Dear ASPET Members,

As we near the end of 2016, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished over this last year and what is in store for 2017.

Of course, one of our biggest events of the year was the EB2016 meeting in San Diego. This event featured two of our BIG IDEAS initiatives: From Senior Mentor to Highly Skilled Career Coach: A Novel Approach to Breaking the Diversity Roadblock, led by Drs. Lynn Wecker and Susan Ingram as the ASPET Mentoring Network; and Enhancing Undergraduate Engagement in ASPET at EB Meetings, an initiative led by Drs. Carol Beck and Catherine Davis. These initiatives will continue as part of our ASPET programming during EB2017 this coming spring. Another BIG IDEAS initiative led by Drs. Kan He, Tom Woolf and Paul Hollenberg – Surmounting the Insurmountable: Obstacles in Drug Discovery and Development – Real World Case Studies, will debut at EB2017. Once again, ASPET will be providing over 100 travel awards of various kinds for young scientists to attend EB2017. A complete “ASPET Program at a Glance” for EB2017 can be found elsewhere in this issue of The Pharmacologist, so please check it out. I’m sure that you will agree that this promises to be one of our best meetings yet, so please join us in Chicago this coming spring.

This last year we have continued our efforts for global outreach to international pharmacology societies. Our past president, Dr. Ken Thummel, just returned from China where he delivered a lecture entitled Pharmacogenetic Discoveries and Clinical Associations in Alaska Populations, to the 14th National Conference of the Chinese Pharmacological Society in Beijing. Please read Ken’s recollections of his visit elsewhere in this issue. And earlier this month, ASPET was well represented at the annual meeting of the British Pharmacological Society, Pharmacology 2016, December 13-15, where we hosted a symposium entitled The Long Reach of the Bowel: Translating Microbiome Science into Therapeutics for Systemic Human Diseases, organized by Drs. Pamela Hornby and Ross Corriden. In addition, a delegation of ASPET Council and other Society members, including 5 travel awardees were at the Pharmacology 2016 meeting in London. The awardees are highlighted on page 217. Notably, as part of our ongoing exchange with the Japanese Pharmacological Society, Dr. Masamitsu Iino (Nihon University Medical School, Tokyo, Japan) will be giving a special lecture at EB2017.

In the fall, we announced three awards funded through the new Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students (PIIPS) program, which was launched via the BIG IDEAS initiative. The awards are acknowledged on page 218, and we look forward to following the progress of this unique opportunity to engage graduate students in exploring research and careers in industry.

One of our most important efforts this last year has been the implementation of strategic planning efforts for the Society. This fall, ASPET Council convened a strategic planning retreat during which the outline for a new strategic plan was formulated for the Society. This effort was led by an external consultant who also facilitated the strategic planning survey of the membership this last summer. Results of this member survey will be available in the March 2017 issue of The Pharmacologist. As a result of this effort, six strategic goals were identified for the Society along with

December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

180 a number of actionable objectives for these goals. This “draft” strategic plan is currently being reviewed by specific standing committees of the Society, as well as specially created task forces. The current goal is to finalize our objectives and identify tactics or strategies for achieving them. We are working under a tight time-line but plan to provide the membership with the ASPET strategic plan during the business meeting at the ASPET Annual Meeting at EB2017.

Early in 2017, ASPET will hold its annual election for the Society’s leadership positions. Indeed, a listing of candidates for Council and Division officers can be found in this issue of The Pharmacologist. Rather than hold the elections over the holidays, as we have done traditionally, this year the polls will open in January and close in February of 2017. We are hoping that this will increase participation in the election, so please vote when you are notified that the polls are open!

As we wind down 2016, please accept my best wishes for the upcoming holiday season, and I look forward to seeing everyone at EB2017 in Chicago.

Warm regards,

David R. Sibley, Ph.D. President, ASPET

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181

How well do you know the

"Windy City?”

In preparation for the upcoming annual meeting in Chicago, check out these fun facts about the town known as the “Windy City”:

Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center offers the largest amount of exhibition space in the U.S. (2.6 million square feet).

Over 52 million people visit Chicago each year.

The Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 110 stories high.

Walt Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. He studied drawing at Chicago's McKinley High School and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball and home of the 2016 World Series Champions Chicago Cubs.

The first televised U.S. presidential candidates’ debate was broadcast from Chicago’s CBS Studios on September 26, 1960, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

The Twinkie was invented during the Depression by Chicagoan Jimmy Dewar, who at the time was the manager of Chicago's Continental Baking Company.

The first Ferris wheel debuted in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Today, Navy Pier has a 15-story Ferris wheel, modeled after the original one.

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ASPET Year in Review Membership

Career Center

4,873

451

total members in 69 countries

New members in 2016 (and still growing)

The ASPET Career Center averages jobs available on the site daily

132

17,339

There have been page views on the ASPET Career Center

Education & Awards

110

ASPET SURF students supported from 80 institutions

144 Science Policy

travel awards given to attend EB2016

2016 Washington fellows class participated in meetings with congressional offices

77

67

best presentation awards given at EB2016

ASPET joined coalition partners in over letters to Congress advocating for increased funding for NIH and other federally funded science agencies

15

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

$98,524

given to ASPET Scientific achievement award winners

183

Publications DMD, JPET, MOL and PharmRev journals published papers from different countries

4

30

ASPET journals DMD, JPET, MOL and PharmRev launched new websites

67%

3,219

of all articles in the journals (back to 1908) were accessed

manuscript reviews were completed for DMD, JPET, MOL, and PharmRev

39

Open Access articles were published in DMD, JPET, MOL, and PharmRev

Most popular issue of The Pharmacologist: March 2016 with impressions

17,526

Annual Meeting

12,741

ASPET attendees at EB2016 hail from countries

37 700 1,370 100

overall attendees at Experimental Biology 2016 The primary interest of attendees at EB2016 was PHARMACOLOGY.

ASPET abstracts submitted to EB2016

participants in the EB2016 Student/Postdoc poster competition

Social Media

1,756

total “likes” on ASPET’s Facebook page

1,304

ASPET Twitter followers

2,215

ASPET LinkedIn group members

These counts were taken as of October 28, 2016

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2016 Contributions ASPET gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who made contributions for 2016: Karim Alkadhi Shawn Anderson Amir Askari Aisar Atrakchi Daniel Azarnoff William Beck Richard A. Bond John Bowyer Robert Caldwell Brian M. Cox Gary DeLander

Robin Dodson Thomas Donnelly Jeffrey Fedan James Fujimoto Martin Green Roland Greenberg K. R. Hornbrook Kenneth Johnson Jonathan Katz Suzanne Laychock Lee Limbird

Keven Lynch Craig Malbon Dennis Marshall Donald Mattison Donald McMillan Gwen Nichols James O'Donnell Richard Okita Mark Osinski Achilles Pappano James Patrick

Robert Pechnick Reynold Spector Craig W. Stevens Roger K. Sunahara Pushpa Thadani Dhiren R. Thakker Janice Urban Rita Valentino David Williams Pancras Wong

Thank you to our Annual Meeting Sponsors:

Thank you to our Colloquium Sponsors:

Community for Open Antimicrobial Drug Discovery Drexel University Online Indiana University, School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology Merck Michigan State University, Pharmacology & Toxicology Mirna Therapeutics Oregon State University, College of Pharmacy University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology & Cell Biophysics

AbbVie Agilent Technologies Amgen Charles River Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD Vault) DiscoveRx Janssen Lilly Merck Millipore Sigma Pfizer Springer Healthcare (Adis Insight) Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Waters Wilson Sonsini

This list reflects contributions received as of December 7, 2016.

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2017 Election The ASPET election for president-elect, secretary/ treasurer-elect, and councilor will open on January 9, 2017. Traditionally, the election has been held in December over the holidays. However, this year the polls will open in January and close in February of 2017 with the goal of increasing participation in the election. Members will receive notification when the election opens.

All regular, postdoctoral, and emeritus members are eligible to vote. In addition, the following divisions are holding elections: • Division for Behavioral Pharmacology • Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Nominees for President-Elect

Terrence J. Monks, PhD Edward T. Morgan, Assistant Vice-President PhD for Research – Integrated Biosciences; Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University

Professor of Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine

• Division for Drug Discovery and Development • Division for Drug Metabolism • Division for Pharmacology Education • Division for Molecular Pharmacology Once the election opens, members may view the full candidate biographies. In the meantime, we have included the full statements for the two candidates for president below.

As the bylaws require, the election will be open for a minimum of thirty (30) days from the day of notification.

The election will close on February 10, 2017.

Terrence J. Monks, PhD Candidate’s Statement It is an honor to be nominated to serve as the president of ASPET. These are challenging times for biomedical science, but they are also exciting.

Indeed, I feel fortunate to be in science at this moment; the intellectual and technical advances being made are truly amazing, and inspire us to experimentally address questions that were simply beyond us just a few years ago. But what are those challenges, and what do they hold for our Society and for our discipline?

There is concern that the assimilation of academic pharmacology departments into more integrated basic science departments may erode the identity of pharmacology. Yet, such changes create opportunities for pharmacologists to apply their expertise and breadth of knowledge to influence the direction on medical and graduate education.

Indeed, pharmacologists, by our very training, have a broad knowledge base and an appreciation of other disciplines. Such diversity of expertise within our discipline is reflected, for example, in the number and variety of ASPET divisions. However, we need to be careful not to silo ourselves, but continue to encourage scientific programing that not only transcends the interests of specific ASPET divisions,

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but that reaches across disciplinary borders. It is usually at the interface between disciplines that the most exciting science takes place and discoveries are made. Thus, prioritizing a vibrant scientific program at the annual meeting is essential to showcase the scientific breadth and rigor of our discipline, and will be a priority of my tenure as ASPET president.

Scientific rigor and reproducibility are also of major concern, and ASPET should be a leader in addressing this real problem. As president, I will ensure that ASPET works with other scientific societies and stakeholders to tackle this issue, and provide guidance to our members with respect to appropriate standards of rigor, from experimental design and reagent verification through data analysis and interpretation. ASPET journals’ editors and editorial boards will also be engaged in this process to ensure that ASPET journals publish papers that meet these rigorous standards. Critiquing our own work is the best way to demonstrate the rigor that pharmacologists bring to their research.

Support of graduate training in pharmacology has always been, and should continue to be, a priority and strength of our Society. Through travel grants, poster and platform sessions, and participation in society governance, ASPET and its members have provided mentorship to countless numbers of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and those on the first few steps of the career ladder. These experiences and the building of a network of peer support, have in no small part been major contributors to the career success of pharmacologists, whose broad training appeals to many types of employers.

Strong support of graduate education and career mentoring remains critical to the future of our discipline, and we should be positive in what the future holds. Crucially, the value of a graduate education has never been greater, with all growth in the college wage premium since 2000 being due to the earnings of those with advanced degrees.

Students are aware of this, and first-time graduate enrollment in health sciences in 2014 grew by 6.1% year-on-year, and occupations typically requiring a graduate degree for entry are forecast to grow the fastest through 2024. As your president, I will ensure that ASPET further explores innovative ways in which academia, government, and industry can combine our expertise to ensure that graduate programs continue

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

to produce pharmacology graduates with the problem-solving and communication skills necessary to lead teams with diverse skill sets. The ASPET supported Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students program is an excellent example of how our Society can partner in this way to enhance career opportunities.

Finally, how can ASPET better serve its members?

How can we improve the programs and services that ASPET currently provides, or create those we currently do not provide? We should certainly be creating programs/workshops that ensure we assist members in all sectors of employment to advance their careers. Conversely, how can you help your Society? Any society is as strong as it members. For those of you who have yet to enjoy working with your colleagues in ASPET to advance the discipline of pharmacology, I highly encourage you to get involved, to volunteer, to express your opinions, and make yourself heard. Respect for diversity of opinions is critical to the success of any organization, and as your president I will actively seek and encourage input from ASPET members and staff alike.

Edward T. Morgan, PhD Candidate’s Statement One of the first questions job candidates are asked is: Why do you want this position? For me, the answer is easy. I’ve been a pharmacologist since my undergraduate studies on serotonin action in pig splenic capsule at the University of Glasgow, and ASPET is my scientific and intellectual home. I just received my certificate for 25 years of membership in ASPET, and for the last 18 years I’ve been actively involved in one aspect or another of program service and leadership. The Society has played a huge role in my career through scientific, networking, and leadership opportunities, and it’s been a great source of professional and personal satisfaction. I’m excited and energized by this opportunity.

The last decade has been one of extraordinary activity in the Society. The wise investments of our financial assets together with a period of bull markets have put us in a strong financial position.

We’ve used this bounty to benefit our members and our discipline: strengthening the Divisions through increased budgets; increasing the number of student and young scientist travel awards; adding

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the member lounge at the EB meeting; establishing the ASPET Washington Fellows program; solidifying the endowments of our most prestigious Awards; contributing to the development of the IUPHAR Pharmacology Education Project; adding an Education Manager and a Marketing Communications Coordinator; rebranding and modernizing ASPET’s image; and rebuilding our website. The BIG IDEAS program empowers the entire membership to envision and implement new initiatives.

All this has been very exciting, but there are challenges we must face. Open access and the proliferation of journals make the future less predictable for ASPET journals, which are the main source of the Society’s income. Sub-disciplines like drug discovery and chemical biology may be impacting Society membership and attendance at our conferences. Council has begun a strategic planning process to address these and other pressing issues.

It’s certain that the incoming President-Elect will need insight into the Society’s financial structure, its relationship with the journals and the Board of Publications Trustees (BPT), the factors affecting journal income and expenses, and the relationships between the Society and the Divisions. I believe that my experience on the BPT as an at-large member and as Editor of Drug Metabolism and Disposition; on two Division Executive Committees and as Chair of the Drug Metabolism Division; as Secretary-Treasurer; and on the Finance Committee and Investments Subcommittee have prepared me very well for this position and for facing these challenges.

Challenges almost always are accompanied by opportunities. The rise of drug discovery and chemical biology have strengthened the impact and importance of pharmacology. We can harness the stimulated interest to our benefit by partnering and synergizing with related societies in sponsoring or presenting conferences and symposia. Such initiatives are already underway, as emphasized by partnerships with our sister societies in China, Britain, and Japan. ASPET co-sponsored a colloquium with the Academic Drug Discovery Consortium after EB2016, and I would work to make sure that this type of programming continues so that pharmacologists who are not ASPET members may be stimulated to join. As president, I would ensure that our focus on recruiting and retaining members continues, especially students and early career scientists on

whom the continued vitality of the Society depends.

The recent formation of the Young Scientists Committee is a great start, and I would work with them to ensure that they are inspired to bring forward programming and initiatives that will help young pharmacologists in choosing and entering a career. I will also work to ensure that those BIG IDEAS that are successful become part of the regular framework of ASPET. Membership of ASPET has many benefits such as scientific programming, networking, mentoring, political advocacy, education, free journal subscriptions and reduced publication costs, travel awards, and platforms for young scientists to present and be recognized. While each member assigns their own priorities among them, they are all vital. However, I’d like to highlight a quote from a respondent to the ASPET member survey: “I think you’ve left off the most important reason for most people, and the main reason that I joined. I wanted to belong to the premier professional organization in my field of research. Everything else is gravy.”

[The Pharmacologist 57(4): 238, 2015]. I look forward to helping to ensure that ASPET, by paying close attention to all of the above benefits that are important to our members and by shepherding our resources judiciously, continues to be that premier professional organization for nascent and established pharmacologists alike.

The ASPET 2017 elections will open on January 9, 2017. All eligible voters will be sent notification with your login credentials to view full candidate biographies and to vote.

If you have any questions, please contact membership@aspet.org.

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Nominees for Councilor

Susan L. Ingram, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University

Alan V. Smrcka, PhD Professor of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School

Michael W. Wood, PhD Chief Executive Officer, Neupharm LLC

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Nominees for Secretary/ Treasurer-Elect

Margaret E. Gnegy, PhD Professor and Associate Chair for Education, Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School

Michael F. Jarvis, PhD Volwiler Senior Research Fellow and Scientific Director, Global Medical Affairs, AbbVie; Adjunct Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois

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ASPET Annual Meeting Program Schedule subject to change. Check the EB2017 online program book and mobile app for final schedule.

For speakers and full session descriptions, visit www.aspet.org/EB2017. All ASPET events will be held at the McCormick Place Convention Center and the adjacent Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel.

Saturday, April 22 5:30 pm ASPET Business Meeting and Awards Presentation

7:00 pm New This Year!

All Society EB Welcome Reception

Friday, April 21, 2017 Session/Event Give a Day of Service to Chicago at EB2017 Contact Dr. Charles France to participate (france@uthscsa.edu or 210-567-6969)

UG GS PD

Saturday, April 22, 2017 Session/Event Teaching Institute: Supporting Experiment Design and Rigor in Graduate Training Chairs: J.V. Barnett and R.T. Okita

Time GS PD

IPE: Educating a New Generation of Healthcare Professionals Chair: A.J. McFalls

12:00 pm - 2:30 pm 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Graduate Student - Postdoctoral Colloquium: Effective Science Communication

UG GS PD

2:30 pm - 5:00 pm

ASPET Business Meeting and Awards Presentation

UG GS PD

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

All Society EB Welcome Reception New!

UG GS PD

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Are you or your colleagues conducting innovative research? Learn more about submitting a proposal to organize a symposium at the ASPET Annual Meeting at EB2018 in San Diego. Contact meetings@aspet.org.

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Sunday, April 23, 2017 Session/Event Diversity Mentoring Breakfast (by invitation only) Keynote: Sharon Milgram

Time UG GS PD

7:30 am - 9:30 am

John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology Lecture Keynote to be announced in January

8:30 am - 9:20 am

ASPET Presidential Symposium: Leveraging New Paradigms for GPCR Drug Discovery Chair: D.R. Sibley

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Tools and Targets: Overcoming Challenges in Modern Drug Discovery Chairs: D.R. Mattison and C. Beeson

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Novel Regulators of Platelet Function and Thrombogenesis: Multiple Trails Towards a Broadway Chairs: F.T. Khasawneh and M.A. Holinstat

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Cytochrome P450 Structure in Human Health Chairs: P.R. Wilderman and J.R. Halpert

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Behavioral Models of Age-related Cognitive Decline Chairs: K. Murnane and J. Bizon

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

ASPET Poster Presentations

UG GS PD

12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

2016 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science Keynote: Emmanuelle Charpentier (All Society EB lecture)

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Reynold Spector Award in Clinical Pharmacology Lecture Keynote to be announced in January

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm

Mechanistic Studies in Cholinergic Neurobiology: Focus on Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Chair: R.M. Drenan

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Cardiovascular Pathobiology of Inflammasomes Chairs: Y. Zhang and K.M. Boini

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Challenges and Opportunities for Childhood Cancer Drug Development Chair: P.J. Houghton

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Physiological Regulation of Drug Metabolism and Transport Chair: E.T. Morgan

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Delivering Innovative Solutions in Pharmacology Education: Leveraging Web-Based Technologies Chairs: J.L. Szarek and S. Maxwell

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

ASPET Student / Postdoc Poster Competition

UG GS PD

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

ASPET Student / Postdoc Mixer

UG GS PD

8:30 pm - 11:00 pm

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Monday, April 24, 2017 Session/Event

Time

ASPET - JPS Lecture Keynote: Masamitsu Iino

8:30 am - 9:20 am

Therapeutic Prospectives for Cannabinoids: Beyond Marijuana and Pain Chairs: H. Neelakantan and S.J. Ward

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

The CRISPR-Cas9 Revolution in Pharmacology Chairs: K. Tonsfeldt and L.A. Devi

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Mitochondria: Guardians of the Cell Chairs: R.G. Schnellmann and J.D. Schuetz

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Emerging Technologies for Characterizing Lead Optimization of Novel Biotherapeutics Chairs: L.C. Wienkers and D. Rock

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

3-D Biology in Cancer Pharmacology – Is Flat Biology Dead?

Chair: M.A. Bjornsti

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Journals Symposium: Hear It from the Editors Chair: M.E. Vore ASPET Poster Presentations

GS PD

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

UG GS PD

12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Otto Krayer Award in Pharmacology Lecture Keynote to be announced in January

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm

Game-Based Learning and Clinical Simulation for Pharmacology Chairs: M.J. Hernandez and K.M. Quesnelle

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Targeting of GRKs and Beta-arrestins for Cardiovascular Therapy: Picking on Certain Siblings over Others in Some (Protein) Families Chairs: A. Lymperopoulos and G. Iaccarino

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Drug Metabolism – Early Career Achievement Award, James Gillette Award and Platform Session Awardees and platform speakers to be announced in January

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Molecular Pharmacology – Postdoctoral Scientist Award Finalists Finalists to be announced in January

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Trainee Showcase Showcase speakers to be announced in January

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Toxicology – Division Programming Chair: M. Valentovic Division Annual Meetings for: • Cardiovascular Pharmacology • Drug Discovery and Development • Drug Metabolism Division Mixers for: • Cardiovascular Pharmacology • Drug Metabolism and Toxicology

• Molecular Pharmacology • Pharmacology Education • Toxicology • Molecular Pharmacology

Young Experimental Scientists Y.E.S. Mixer (All Society EB event for students and postdocs)

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

UG GS PD

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

UG GS PD

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

UG GS PD

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

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Tuesday, April 25, 2017 Session/Event

Time

Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology Lecture Keynote: Paul A. Insel

8:30 am - 9:20 am

Julius Axelrod Symposium: Evolving Insights Regarding GPCRs: Compartmentation, Signaling and Clinical Utility Chair: P.A. Insel

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Perinatal Therapeutics and the Programming of Adult Cardiometabolic Disease Chairs: S.L. Bourque and S. Goulopoulou

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Quantitative Systems Pharmacology: Application to Cancer Drug Development and Personalized/precision Medicine Chairs: J.L.S. Au and J.S.H. Lee

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Emerging Technologies for Selectively Modulating the Tumor Immune Contexture Chairs: S. Sengupta and A.A. Kulkarni

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Mushrooming Potential of Psychedelics as Therapeutics Chairs: W.E. Fantegrossi and R. Griffiths

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Science and Government: How to Make a Difference Through Advocacy Chairs: A.C. Marshall and N. Patil

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Give a Day of Service to Chicago at EB2017 Join us for a day of volunteer service in Chicago on Friday, April 21, 2017.

Since 2009, ASPET members attending Experimental Biology (EB) have given a day of volunteer service in the local communities where EB is held. Volunteer activities have ranged from home construction to painting, cleaning, stocking shelves, building maintenance, food preparation, and other services.

ASPET’s Division for Behaviorial Pharmacology will again sponsor a volunteer opportunity, which is open to all ASPET members, at EB2017 in Chicago. On Friday, April 21, 2017, we will spend the day at Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest, continuously-operating, Gospel rescue mission in the country, providing food and shelter for individuals in need.

During EB2015, ASPET members spent the day volunteering at Cradles to Crayons, helping the children of Boston.

If you plan to join us, please contact Charles P. France at france@ uthscsa.edu or at 210-567-6969. Space is limited and further details will be provided to those who express an interest in volunteering.

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Tuesday, April 25, 2017, continued ASPET Poster Presentations

UG GS PD

12:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Division for Translational & Clinical Pharmacology – Trainee Mentoring and Career Development

UG GS PD

12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

David Lehr Research Award Lecture Keynote: Doo-Sup Choi Surmounting the Insurmountable: Obstacles in Drug Discovery and Development – Real World Case Studies Chairs: K. He and P.F. Hollenberg

2:00 pm - 2:50 pm GS PD

Division for Behavioral Pharmacology – Team Science Forum: Scientist Crosstalk on Chemistry and Behavior Chairs: E. Jutkiewicz and B. Blough

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Cancer Pharmacology – Young Investigators Symposium

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology – Young Investigator Awards Platform Session and Early Career Faculty Showcase Platform speakers to be announced in January

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division for Neuropharmacology Postdoctoral Scientist Award Finalists Finalists to be announced in January

UG GS PD

3:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Division Annual Meetings for: UG GS PD • Behavioral Pharmacology • Neuropharmacology • Cancer Pharmacology • Translational and Clinical Pharmacology

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

Division Mixers for: • Behavioral Pharmacology and Neuropharmacology •C ancer Pharmacology, Translational and Clinical Pharmacology, Drug Discovery and Development, and Pharmacology Education

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

UG GS PD

Register Now for EB For one registration fee, you have access to 6 society annual meetings in one location.

Check Pharmacology and ASPET when you register for EB To receive all relevant information for pharmacology programming, be sure to select "Pharmacology" as your discipline and "ASPET" as your membership society when you register.

Renew your membership to receive the deepest discounts!

Renew today and encourage your colleagues to join ASPET!

The early registration deadline is Feb. 23, 2017. To register, please visit https://www.aspet.org/Annual_Meeting_EB_2017/Registration/ ■ = Lectures ■ = Networking Opportunity UG = Session of Interest for Undergraduate Students GS = Session of Interest for Graduate Students PD = Session of Interest for Postdocs December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

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Wednesday, April 26, 2017 Session/Event

Time

Norman Weiner Lecture Keynote: Jack Bergman

8:30 am - 9:20 am

Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery in Epigenetics Chairs: D. Wang and C. He

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Nonpharmacological Factors Influencing Drug Action Chair: M.A. Nader

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

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Division Meetings and Activities

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DM Annual Division Meeting

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Sunday, April 23

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MP Annual Division Meeting

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December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

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The Pharmacologist • December 2016

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Cortisone:

A Miracle with Flaws Rebecca J. Anderson, PhD

Credit: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

In September 1947, newly elected Congressman John F. Kennedy collapsed while visiting his sister in London and was rushed to the hospital. His symptoms weren’t new, but the diagnosis was. Sir David Davis, the attending physician, told Kennedy that he had Addison’s disease and estimated that he had less than a year to live (1-3).

Thomas Addison (1793-1860) was one of the legendary physicians at Guy’s Hospital in London, along with Thomas Hodgkin and Richard Bright.

Congressman John F. Kennedy (on crutches) and his mother, Addison was the first to describe Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, at a pernicious anemia and the various skin campaign reception. conditions associated with diabetes, scleroderma, and high cholesterol.

In 1839, he wrote one of the first modern medical textbooks, Elements of the Practice of Medicine (4).

While studying pernicious anemia, Addison noticed that some of his patients exhibited atypical symptoms: no appetite, weak pulse, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Being attuned to dermatology, he also noted a striking skin discoloration. These patients progressively weakened and died. At autopsy, their adrenal glands were the “size of a hen’s egg” and as “hard as stones” (4). (Healthy adrenal glands are soft and the size and shape of an almond.)

The Mayo Clinic's Plummer Building in Rochester, MN. December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

Reprinted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Addison under the Creative Commons- International Attribution License.

200 Addison attributed the patients’ adrenal abnormalities and resulting clinical condition to infection with tuberculosis, which was widespread in Europe in the 19th century (4). He published his observations in 1855. A year later, Charles BrownSéquard demonstrated that animals whose adrenal glands had been removed Thomas Addison exhibited a similar syndrome to that described by Addison.

The animals, like Addison’s patients, inevitably died.

The logical treatment was replacement therapy, and Archibald L. Muirhead volunteered as the first human guinea pig. Muirhead, a pharmacology professor at Creighton University School of Medicine, arrived at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1920. He suffered from advanced Addison’s disease and was bedridden.

The only substance identified in the adrenal glands was epinephrine, which John Jacob Abel and others had isolated from the adrenal medulla and purified 20 years earlier. Muirhead received injections and rectal suppositories of epinephrine three times a day, and ate raw adrenal glands “to the point of tolerance” with each meal (5).

The regimen was less than optimal. Epinephrine caused weakness, tremors, and heart palpitations.

The raw adrenal glands caused nausea, vomiting, and intestinal cramps. But for several months, Muirhead’s condition improved (4-6).

Over the next decade, Leonard Rowntree and his associates at the Mayo Clinic subjected dozens of other patients to the “Muirhead regimen.” More than half of them showed at least temporary improvement in their Addison’s symptoms. Then, in 1929, Rowntree met with Joseph Pfiffner, who was in Rochester to attend a scientific conference. Pfiffner and Wilbur Swingle, his colleague at Princeton University, had prepared an interesting extract of bovine adrenal cortex tissue in their lab.

The crude Swingle-Pfiffner extract maintained the life of cats whose adrenal glands had been surgically removed. When they ran out of the extract, the cats died (4). Along with several other groups, Swingle and

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Pfiffner sought to isolate and purify the extract’s lifesustaining substance, which researchers called “cortin.”

In 1930, a 39-year-old farmer from Iowa arrived at the Mayo Clinic in a “state of collapse” (4). Rowntree had treated him previously with the Muirhead regimen, but like most patients, his addisonian symptoms had returned and progressed. With few options remaining, Rowntree requested and received a sample of the Swingle-Pfiffner extract. After two days of treatment, the farmer showed marked improvement in strength and appetite. But he also experienced severe irritation at the injection site, and when the extract ran out, his symptoms returned.

Over the next four years, the Mayo Clinic treated 48 patients with the Swingle-Pfiffner extract (4).

Unfortunately, the Princeton researchers could produce only lab-scale samples. Rowntree asked Edward Kendall, a chemist at the Mayo Clinic, for scale-up assistance.

Kendall, the Compulsive Chemist Edward Kendall began his career at Parke, Davis & Company in Detroit in September 1910. Like other leading pharmaceutical firms, Parke Davis complied with the recently enacted Pure Food and Drug Act. The chemistry department’s primary responsibility was to ensure the purity of the company’s products

Addison's disease

Signs and symptoms of Addison’s disease

201 (7). Kendall felt isolated as the only research chemist, and he stayed only a few months. But the research he started there—isolating the hormone produced by the thyroid gland—would consume all his efforts for the next 20 years (7).

Adrenal Gland

crocks. He tackled the messy work with a passion (4). When he left in May 1930, Szent-Györgyi had isolated several grams of hexuronic acid. He offered a sample to Kendall, but neither of them knew what the compound did. After returning to Hungary, SzentGyörgyi and his coworkers proved that hexuronic acid was vitamin C, a discovery for which he later received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Searching for Cortin

The adrenal glands consist of two structurally different parts, the adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla.

After three years at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City, Kendall moved to Rochester to head the Mayo Clinic’s newly created biochemistry laboratory. In 1916, he succeeded in isolating crystalline thyroxine from the thyroid gland. With a dogged determination that characterized all of his research efforts, Kendall spent the next 10 years trying to synthesize thyroxine (7).

In 1926, he abruptly ended his efforts when Charles Harington at the University College London published a synthetic method.

While contemplating his next big project, Kendall received a letter from Albert Szent-Györgyi. SzentGyörgyi had isolated a compound that he called “hexuronic acid” from fruits, vegetables, and (in high concentrations) the adrenal glands of cows. SzentGyörgyi was planning a trip to the US and asked if he could join Kendall’s lab temporarily as a visiting scientist (4, 7). The Mayo Clinic was conveniently located near the meatpacking houses in St. Paul, where Szent-Györgyi could obtain large quantities of adrenal glands. Kendall agreed.

Szent-Györgyi arrived at the Mayo Clinic in September 1929 and quickly set up shop: a wooden press, a large meat grinder, and numerous 40-gallon

Thanks to Szent-Györgyi’s project, Kendall’s lab was now well equipped to handle large-scale adrenal extractions. When Rowntree asked him for assistance in preparing the Swingle-Pfiffner extract, Kendall not only agreed but also saw a great research opportunity.

Something in the adrenal cortex was responsible for maintaining an individual’s weight, strength, and wellbeing, as well as sodium-potassium balance in the blood. If he could isolate cortin, “it should have wide [clinical] application” (7).

Kendall may not have been the most skilled chemist, but he had several advantages over the other groups that were searching for the elusive “cortin.”

First, he had access to a plentiful supply of adrenal glands. Tapping his contacts at Parke Davis, he proposed a partnership.

Parke Davis had been producing epinephrine (Adrenalin®) since 1901 and was the largest supplier to retail drugstores (7). The company agreed to procure adrenal glands from the Detroit stockyards and ship them free of charge to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

In return, Kendall’s lab would extract both epinephrine and cortin, ship the epinephrine to Parke Davis, and retain the cortin for its own use. Both parties benefited: Kendall got the glands for free, and Parke Davis marketed Adrenalin without labor costs.

Kendall also struck a deal with the Wilson Packing Company in Chicago to obtain an additional 300 pounds of adrenal glands per week. Kendall’s production facility operated around the clock in 3 shifts for 15 years and processed a total of 150 tons of adrenal tissue (4, 7).

Kendall’s second advantage over the other biochemistry researchers was the ability to assess his extracts physiologically. Mayo’s animal research labs prepared and cared for the animals. Dogs whose adrenal glands had been surgically removed rarely survived more than 48 hours. Active adrenal extracts, such as the Swingle-Pfiffner extract, prolonged their life.

December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

In 1933, Kendall announced at a weekly staff meeting at the Mayo Clinic that he had succeeded in isolating cortin, the adrenal cortex hormone.

Although vague on details, he said the crystalline substance maintained adrenalectomized dogs in a “normal condition” (7).

The Turning Point In June 1934, 17-year-old John F. Kennedy arrived in Rochester. At the Mayo Clinic and later at nearby St. Mary’s Hospital, the teenager underwent a series of uncomfortable tests. His doctors originally suspected a peptic ulcer but ultimately concluded that Kennedy had colitis (1). Their state-of-the-art prescription was a restricted diet, reduced emotional stress, and injections of horse serum (1). Kennedy was discharged after a month, but he continued to suffer intestinal discomfort throughout his senior year at Choate prep school.

In September 1934, physiologist Dwight Ingle joined Kendall’s lab and set up additional methods for evaluating the activity of Kendall’s extracts (7). When Ingle electrically stimulated muscles of adrenalectomized rats, muscle twitching ceased in less than 24 hours. The Swingle-Pfiffner extract restored and maintained normal muscle twitches indefinitely (4).

Unfortunately, the crystalline compound that Kendall called “cortin” did not restore normal muscle activity in Ingle’s rat assay. Similarly, adrenalectomized dogs treated with the compound eventually developed the symptoms of Addison’s disease (4). Kendall’s announcement about cortin had been premature.

Further research showed that the adrenal cortex produced not one but many compounds. Kendall differentiated them alphabetically in the order in which he isolated and crystallized them. Meanwhile, Joseph Pfiffner moved to Columbia University and joined forces with another highly skilled chemist, Oskar Wintersteiner. They also designated their crystalline compounds alphabetically (8).

Another prominent adrenal hormone explorer was Tadeus Reichstein. Born in Poland, the young Reichstein moved with his family to Kiev, Ukraine, and was educated in Zurich, Switzerland (9, 10). Known for his modesty, collegial style, and wide network of collaborators, Reichstein outshone his contemporaries in both brilliance and productivity (10, 11). In Zurich, Reichstein likewise distinguished his adrenal cortex compounds with letters of the alphabet.

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Reprinted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Reichstein under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

202 The publications of these investigators were confusing. Pfiffner’s compound F was the same as Reichstein’s compound Fa, which Kendall called compound E (8). To clarify the confusing nomenclature, the three labs shared samples for comparison, but they also remained competitive (4, 7).

Dr. Tadeus Reichstein By 1936, Kendall and the Pfiffner-Wintersteiner lab had each isolated five cortical compounds (4). The compounds were all chemically related and were conclusively shown to be steroids. Meanwhile, Reichstein had published seven papers on adrenal cortex chemistry, and everyone agreed that he was well ahead of the other groups (4, 7).

The following year, Reichstein identified another cortical compound, which he named substance H. Initial pharmacologic results suggested that substance H was the most active compound isolated so far. Many thought it was the long-sought “cortin.”

On closer inspection, substance H proved to be the same as Kendall’s compound B. Ingle’s assays had already shown that compound B/substance H was active in the rat twitch test (i.e., enhancing the capacity of muscle to perform work), but it had only a slight effect on sodium-potassium balance (7).

At that time, most researchers thought the adrenal cortex hormone’s most important influence was on sodium and potassium. Then, Cyril N. H. Long, a Yale University investigator who was primarily interested in diabetes, found that Kendall’s compounds A and B had a marked effect on carbohydrate metabolism, which helped explain Ingle’s findings in the rat muscle assay (7).

In a related experiment, Ingle found that compounds A and B, as well as an extract of the whole adrenal gland, caused the adrenal glands and thymus of normal rats to atrophy (7). The externally administered compounds eliminated the need to produce the hormones naturally, and the glands shrank from disuse.

203

DOCA In the summer of 1938, Reichstein in Switzerland had succeeded in synthesizing a steroid using bile acid as the starting material (7). He called it desoxycorticosterone. Because Reichstein had limited facilities for pharmacologic assessment, he asked Kendall for assistance. Desoxycorticosterone was 6 times more active than substance H/compound B in adrenalectomized dogs (7).

In August 1938, Reichstein reported that he had isolated desoxycorticosterone from the adrenal cortex (7). This was the first time that the same steroid had been both isolated from a natural source (i.e., the adrenal cortex) and produced synthetically in the lab.

In addition, desoxycorticosterone mimicked the effect of the Swingle-Pfiffner extract more closely than any other isolated steroid.

Kendall’s third advantage (being affiliated with the Mayo Clinic) was the ability to test the adrenal steroids in patients. Clinical tests showed that desoxycorticosterone effectively treated Addison’s disease, if appropriate adjustments were made in the

patients’ diet to maintain normal blood potassium and sodium levels (7, 12).

Reichstein was now professor and director of the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Institute at the University of Basel (12). This position involved close ties with CIBA Pharmaceuticals (4). Taking advantage of Reichstein’s method, CIBA and also Organon (a Dutch drug company) devised a commercially viable synthesis for desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA). Regrettably, the market for an Addison’s disease drug was small, and DOCA was outrageously expensive (4).

In February 1938 and again in February 1939, John F. Kennedy returned to the Mayo Clinic, complaining of ongoing intestinal problems (1). Like the doctors in New England, where Kennedy also sought treatment, the Mayo clinicians’ extensive inspection of his colon and digestive system revealed no new insights about his colitis.

Adrenal Gland (hormones)

Adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are composed of an outer cortex and an inner medulla, which produce different types of hormones.

December 2016 • The Pharmacologist

204 It is possible that he was offered DOCA as an experimental treatment. When Kennedy’s medical records and related correspondence were unsealed in 2002, Robert Dallek and Jeffrey Kelman found that Kennedy had written his father for assistance in filling a prescription for a “very potent” drug, explaining that his doctor “seems to be keeping it pretty quiet” (1).

Certainly, Kendall was actively involved in clinical investigations of DOCA for the treatment of various diseases, and Charles Code at the Mayo Clinic designed the extended-release DOCA formulation that Kennedy used. The bean-sized pellets contained a mixture of DOCA and beeswax (4). Years later, Kennedy’s close friend, Paul Fay, recalled watching young Kennedy make a superficial cut in his thigh with a small knife, slip the pellet underneath the skin, and cover the slit with a bandage (1).

were informed that rumors were circulating within the US Army and Navy Medical Corps that the Germans had successfully developed glucocorticoid drugs.

Luftwaffe pilots could fly at 40,000 feet without experiencing hypoxia (7). The drug’s antistress properties allegedly enabled Nazi troops to withstand the shock of severe wounds and permitted more rapid wound healing (16). There were also reports that German submarines were collecting huge quantities of adrenal glands from Argentine slaughterhouses (7, 16).

With war on the horizon, the US National Research Council (NRC) set three research priorities. Combat efficiency trumped all other considerations, and the NRC’s top priority was synthesis of a performanceenhancing glucocorticoid. The second priority was production of penicillin, and the third project was development of drugs for malaria (7, 15, 17).

Switching Quests On May 8, 1940, Kendall summarized the status of adrenal steroid research at the Mayo Clinic’s weekly staff meeting (7). After a decade of work, 28 steroids had been isolated from the adrenal cortex (13-15). The accumulated animal results clearly showed that no single steroid was responsible for both carbohydrate metabolism and sodium-potassium balance. The notion that one hormone accounted for the activity observed in crude adrenal extracts, such as the Swingle-Pfiffner extract, was now widely dismissed (7).

In his presentation, Kendall took a stab at defining the structure-activity relationships. Some cortical steroids, characterized by compounds A and E, predominantly affected carbohydrate metabolism (the glucocorticoids). Other cortical steroids had a marked effect on sodium and potassium (the mineralocorticoids). These included DOCA and aldosterone, which Reichstein subsequently isolated in 1953 (7, 12).

DOCA was commercially available, but clinical assessment of the glucocorticoids for Addison’s disease and other conditions was hampered by supply shortages. Extraction and purification of 1 g of compound A, for example, required 3,000 lbs of adrenal glands (15). Kendall turned his attention to finding a way to synthesize compounds A, B, E, and F “from sources that were abundant and cheap” (7).

Military Priorities In May 1941, all of the adrenal cortex researchers, including Kendall, gathered at Yale University. They

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Kendall had a substance for which he did not have a disease, and Hench had a disease for which he did not have adequate treatment On October 7, 1941, the glucocorticoid committee met in Washington, DC, to organize its work. The 14 committee members represented CIBA, Merck, Schering, E. R. Squibb & Sons, several prominent university labs, and the Mayo Clinic (i.e., Kendall) (7).

Compounds A and E enhanced the ability of muscle to perform work in Ingle’s muscle twitch assay. Both compounds also influenced carbohydrate metabolism and glycogen deposition. Compound E appeared to be 2-3 times more potent than compound A and became the ultimate goal. But compound A seemed simpler to synthesize. The committee decided to proceed stepwise: first, synthesize compound A and then compound E (7).

Because of his extensive experience with adrenal extracts, Kendall was heavily engaged in the NRC project and soon established a close working relationship with the chemists at Merck. Early in 1942, Lewis Sarett, a young Merck chemist, spent three months in Kendall’s lab and made rapid progress in preparing key chemical intermediates. When Sarett returned to Merck, the two chemists harmonized their efforts. Kendall’s lab focused on preparing compound A. Sarett attempted conversion of compound A to

205 compound E (7). They labored for years, but progress was slow.

In the fall of 1943, the glucocorticoid committee received word that Reichstein had succeeded in making compound A. Despite his expertise, though, Reichstein’s yield was only 0.04%, making compound A prohibitively expensive and available in only small amounts (7). Everyone assumed that this skilled chemist would also soon succeed in synthesizing compound E, but World War II had now turned in the Allies’ favor. It was improbable that compound E would be available in time—and in sufficient quantities— for use by soldiers and marines. In addition, the US government now knew the German rumors were completely false (7).

During the war years, penicillin production surged, and it was available in ever-increasing quantities.

Quinacrine and other antimalarials had also been successfully developed. But the government’s top research priority, compound E, failed to deliver, and the NRC terminated the project in June 1944 (7).

The Price of Persistence Merck had invested heavily in the compound E project and continued to collaborate with Kendall’s lab after the committee disbanded. Over the next two years, the Merck chemists managed to scale up production and improve the yield of compound A. In April 1946, Kendall and the Merck project leader decided to share their accumulated data on compound A. They organized a special session in conjunction with the FASEB meeting in Atlantic City (7). The session was well attended, including Reichstein, who was visiting the US. The audience was mostly interested in clinical results, which were only preliminary, rather than the extensive laboratory data. Mayo clinician Edwin Kepler and other investigators reported that compound A was of no value in treating patients with Addison’s disease (7).

It seemed unlikely that compound E, which differed from compound A by only an additional hydroxyl group, would perform any better (7). But despite the audience’s lack of interest, Kendall returned to his lab and proceeded with compound E.

From DOCA to Compound E In the 1940s, John F. Kennedy continued to suffer bouts of colitis, DOCA treatment notwithstanding, and he developed two more problems: osteoporosis and

Addison’s disease. In 1944, Navy surgeons removed “some abnormally soft disc interspace material” to relieve persistent back pain (1).

After his Addison’s disease diagnosis in 1947, Kennedy regularly implanted a DOCA pellet every 3 months (2). When Dallek and Kelman reviewed Kennedy’s medical records, they concluded that long-term steroid treatment had caused his adrenal glands to atrophy, just as Ingle had demonstrated in laboratory rats. (Kennedy never had tuberculosis.)

Pathologists who participated in Kennedy’s autopsy confirmed that his adrenal glands had been reduced to “a few individual adrenal cortical cells immersed in a sea of fat” (2, 3, 18).

In a more recent examination of Kennedy’s medical records, Lee Mandel suggested that Kennedy’s Addison’s disease was the result of an endocrine autoimmune disease, APS 2 (3). Regardless, Kennedy’s case presented a medical dilemma. Steroid treatment had caused (or exacerbated) his adrenal glands to shut down and atrophy, making him dependent on continued steroid use. But those same steroids would further weaken his bones, especially in his lower back, and cause a host of other steroid-related adverse effects.

In 1947, Lewis Sarett, with assistance from Kendall, succeeded in devising a much-improved method for making compound E (16, 17, 19). The 37-step synthesis was a major chemistry achievement, but most researchers were skeptical that compound E would be of much value, except perhaps for Addison’s disease— and that was a small market (16).

Merck organized an investigator conference in New York City on April 29, 1948, to drum up interest (7).

Although the assembled physicians were interested in adrenal cortical hormones, they remained skeptical about compound E. Only Randall Sprague, a Mayo clinician, requested a sample to treat one Addison’s disease patient. Afterward, Merck’s project leader advised Kendall that Merck would likely end its compound E efforts unless someone found profitable clinical uses for it (7).

Undaunted, Kendall returned to his lab and continued working on a simplified synthetic method.

In August 1948, he bumped into Philip Hench in the lobby of Mayo’s Plummer Building (7). The two Mayo staff members were casually acquainted but had never worked together. Hench inquired about the compound E project, and Kendall rather elusively said he was making progress (4).

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Archiv Werner Stuhler / Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Hench’s Hunch Philip Hench, a tall, solidly built man, had been born with a severe cleft palate.

The deformity affected his speech but did not stop him from being a loquacious talker (4). He spent hours perfecting his elocution and practicing his formal presentations.

Hench received one of the first postgraduate fellowships Prof. Dr. Philip Showalter offered by the Mayo brothers Hench at the 10th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. and joined the staff in 1923 (4, 15). In 1926, he founded and became the head of the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Rheumatic Disease.

In 1929, as Kendall was embarking on his adrenal cortex research, Hench became intrigued by a 65-year-old patient who experienced a prolonged remission of his rheumatoid arthritis during and after an attack of jaundice (4, 15). At the time, rheumatoid arthritis was thought to be progressive and irreversible.

Over the next 20 years, Hench accumulated and reported many cases of jaundice-induced remission of rheumatoid arthritis. He also noted that pregnancy, starvation, injection of typhoid vaccine, and general anesthesia (even without surgery) likewise produced remissions (4, 15).

Hench suspected an endogenous substance was responsible for the remissions and began calling it “substance X” (15). Thinking that substance X was associated with the liver, he tried to mimic the therapeutic effect of jaundice by injecting cholesterol, liver extracts, bile acids from humans or cattle, and even blood from jaundiced patients (4).

In 1931, Charles Slocumb joined Hench as the Mayo Clinic’s second rheumatologist. Howard Polley became the third in 1942 (4). Both supported Hench’s clinical investigations of rheumatoid arthritis. Among the possible treatments was lactophenin, a new jaundiceproducing agent. Investigators in Sweden reported that about half of their lactophenin-treated patients developed jaundice, along with relief from their arthritis symptoms (4, 15).

In July 1948, two patients with long-standing rheumatoid arthritis volunteered for Hench’s lactophenin experiment at St. Mary’s Hospital. The

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

first patient developed jaundice, along with a dramatic remission of arthritis symptoms (4).

The second patient, 29-year-old Mrs. G., from Kokomo, Indiana, had participated in Hench’s earlier clinical trials without success. She could not raise her arms over her head or lift a book. Sometimes, she could not even roll over in bed. Unfortunately, lactophenin did not induce jaundice, and her arthritis remained unchanged (4).

Hench had no other treatments to offer and wanted to discharge Mrs. G., but she refused to leave (15). She had seen the dramatic relief that jaundice produced and was willing to try anything. For weeks, Hench, Slocumb, and Polley racked their brains for ways to help their stubborn but extremely cooperative and affable patient (4).

Then, Hench encountered Kendall in the clinic lobby. It was a longshot. There was no data suggesting that compound E affected inflammation, pain, or any other aspect of rheumatic disease.

A Hail Mary at St. Mary’s Hench called Randall Sprague, the Mayo endocrinologist who had received 9 g of compound E for his Addison’s patient (13). Sprague was in the middle of hospital rounds and impatiently listened to Hench’s long-winded pitch. Sprague thought it was “an absurd idea” and refused to share his precious aliquot (4, 13). Hench then called Kendall’s office.

Kendall had planned a long weekend at his cottage on Lake Zumbro. On Thursday afternoon, he swung by his office to pick up his messages, including one from Hench. Surely, the issue, whatever it was, could wait until Monday. But that evening at the cottage, Kendall said, “a sense of urgency came over me” (7).

The nearest phone was an old-fashioned handcrank monstrosity at a farmhouse two miles away. For 45 minutes, Kendall stood uncomfortably speaking into the wall-mounted mouthpiece as Hench recounted Mrs. G.’s case in excruciating detail (4). Kendall was receptive, but he did not have enough compound E for clinical testing.

Kendall followed up by appealing to Merck, but before releasing its limited clinical supplies, the medical department wanted a formal justification. Kendall knew nothing about rheumatoid arthritis. Hench knew nothing about compound E. Basically, as Charles Slocumb later noted, “Kendall had a substance for which he did not have a disease, and Hench had a disease for which he did not have adequate treatment” (4).

By permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.

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Drs. C. H. Slocumb, H. F. Polley, E. C. Kendall, and P. S. Hench

With assistance from Kendall, Slocumb, and Polley, Hench wrote the medical rationale. He kept the letter simple and uncharacteristically brief because the rationale was convoluted and lacked scientific rigor (7). Fortunately, Merck was satisfied and on September 4, 1948, shipped 5 g of compound E, worth more than $1000 ($10,000 in today’s currency) (4, 16).

Thus began the successful collaboration between Kendall and Hench. They complemented each other’s work habits. Hench approached research conservatively and meticulously, and he analyzed results impartially. Kendall, on the other hand, was reckless, constantly improvised, flew by the seat of his pants, and habitually made premature announcements of his laboratory successes (4).

Hench was receptive and sympathetic to the ideas of others; Kendall resisted suggestions. But both had a compulsive work ethic, displayed boundless

optimism, confidently defended their ideas, and could be stubborn (4).

Because Hench was preparing for a European lecture tour, Slocumb and Polley took charge of Mrs. G.’s case. On Tuesday evening, September 21, 1948, Slocumb injected the first 50 mg dose of compound E intramuscularly. He continued with twice-daily injections, and by Friday, he found Mrs. G. exercising and raising her hands over her head. Her painful stiffness was gone (4, 7, 15).

Slocumb repeatedly urged Hench to visit Mrs. G. before he left town, but Hench was intensely focused on his lectures. He knew Mrs. G.’s case well, his expectations were low, and he had no time for the half-mile trip from his office to St. Mary’s Hospital.

Finally, on Friday evening and now somewhat irritated, he yielded to Slocumb. When he walked into Mrs. G.’s room and saw her moving with ease, he was flabbergasted (4, 13).

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208 The following week, Hench stopped in New York on his way to Europe to meet with the Merck project director. He described Mrs. G.’s response and without overpromising, he persuaded Merck to supply compound E to treat four additional rheumatoid arthritis patients (4, 7).

To conserve the precious and expensive drug, Slocumb flushed out every syringe, needle, and bottle, and Kendall recovered and recycled every bit of compound E residue (4). Hench stayed in touch with his team, and when he returned from Europe in December 1948, he immediately expanded the clinical trial. Over the next 3 months, they treated 18 more patients (7).

The results continued to be spectacular, but Merck insisted on treating patients at other sites before they announced their results (4). In March 1949, Hench chose five highly regarded rheumatologists representing clinics spread from coast to coast. Because of the limited supplies, each investigator could treat only two patients. All of them—in every geographic region— experienced a dramatic remission of their rheumatic disease (4).

Press coverage was extensive—and somewhat confusing (7). Many in the media and public mistakenly equated compound E with vitamin E. One day in May 1949, Hench stopped by Kendall’s office, and they brainstormed a more distinctive name—settling on “cortisone” (4, 7).

Cortisone was hailed as “among the biggest advances that medicine has ever made in a single leap” (16). Congress appropriated $1.1 million ($27 million in today’s dollars) to the National Institutes of Health specifically for research on cortisone and its analogs (20).

Merck, the only company with the know-how to make cortisone, was flooded with requests. Max Tishler directed Merck’s efforts to scale up production, adding dozens of chemists who worked long hours and greatly improved the yield of the complicated chemical synthesis (7).

Rumors began circulating of a breakthrough in arthritis treatment. Hench, Kendall, and their Merck counterparts planned a formal announcement at the Association of American Physicians (AAP) meeting in Atlantic City on May 3, 1949 (16). Prior to that, Kendall and Hench presented their findings at Mayo’s weekly staff meeting.

On April 20, 1949, every seat in Mayo’s Plummer Auditorium was taken. Chairs clogged the aisles, and people sat on window sills and the speaker’s platform.

Others crammed the hallway out to the elevators. Mayo’s staff meetings were closed to the press, but the country’s most famous science writer, William Laurence of The New York Times, wrangled a seat in the front row and furiously took notes (4, 7).

The Mayo team had filmed all 23 of their patients before and after treatment with compound E. Hench showed clips at the staff meeting and the AAP meeting, as well as the June meetings of the American Medical Association and the International Congress of Rheumatologists (7, 15). He emphasized that compound E was not a cure for rheumatoid arthritis and should be viewed as just a new research tool.

What everyone saw was a wonder drug.

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

In the Public Domain

The Blockbuster

Chemical structure of cortisone

Still, demand outstripped supply and fostered a black market for fake cortisone (13, 15). Merck turned to the National Academy of Sciences, which formed a committee to evaluate requests and equitably distribute the drug until adequate supplies became available (4, 7). In June 1950, Merck, followed by Schering, introduced cortisone commercially, and by October, the price dropped to $22.40 per gram (16).

Cortisone production was further streamlined when large supplies of progesterone (produced from an extract from Mexican yams) became available. Using progesterone (a cheap starting material), Merck, CIBA,

209 Upjohn, and Pfizer manufactured large quantities of cortisone and related corticosteroids (4).

In 1952, Upjohn implemented a new low-cost process using a microbiological step (Rhizopus nigricans) and sold cortisone for $4 per gram (15, 16). The once-rare and expensive cortisone was now ubiquitous. It also stimulated research and development of a series of more potent and selective glucocorticoids.

The Crash In 1950, Kendall, Hench, and Reichstein were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine— just two years after the first arthritis patient had been treated with cortisone. By that time, though, physicians realized that cortisone was no panacea. The miracle drug had become a curse. Physicians were warned to “avoid the temptation to premature use” because corticosteroids could do more harm than good (21).

All of the rheumatoid arthritis patients in Hench’s original study experienced unpleasant side effects from cortisone treatment (15). Within a few weeks, Mrs. G. became bloated, with a “moon face” and streaklike lesions on her body (called striae). Mentally, the previously affable patient now alternated between depression, euphoria, and psychosis (4).

Janis Larson, a 16-year-old high school junior from Elkader, Iowa, was also in Hench’s clinical trial (22). Because cortisone was in short supply, Hench first tried other treatments, including salicylates and physical therapy. But her arthritis remained severe and uncontrolled.

On September 15, 1949, Janis received her first injection of cortisone (22). Within a day, she could raise herself out of bed without assistance, and her pain was greatly reduced. Knee biopsies showed a marked decrease in inflammation. It was an exciting time at St. Mary’s, and occasionally, Janis was wheeled into the hospital auditorium to be photographed (22).

However, by October 16, 1949, Janis had developed a moon face, which persisted until the mid-1950s. Despite reducing the cortisone dose, she developed striae, and on November 20, treatment was discontinued. Janis immediately “crashed.” She felt worse than before taking cortisone. Shortly before Christmas, she resumed cortisone treatment, along with salicylates, physical therapy, and frequent doses of morphine (22). She was discharged in February 1950, vowing not to return to the Mayo Clinic.

In 1951, Janis was treated at University Hospital in Iowa City. Her doctor began estrogen treatment,

which allowed her to taper her daily cortisone dose.

In 1956, she discontinued cortisone altogether (22).

Her rheumatoid arthritis had become inactive and has remained so since. But her joints had badly deteriorated. She endured corrective surgery to replace both hips, both ankles, and both knees, as well as operations on her fingers and both elbows (22).

By 1954, John F. Kennedy was suffering unbearable back pain. He was taking cortisone daily, along with the DOCA implants, and they had weakened his spine. His fifth lumbar vertebra had collapsed.

Surgery to fuse the bones in his lower back would strengthen his spine, but his doctors advised against it. In an Addison’s patient, surgical stress and postoperative infections could be fatal. The alternative was paralyzing pain and Kennedy insisted on surgery (1).

On October 21, 1954, surgeons at Cornell’s Hospital for Special Surgery conducted the threehour operation. Before, during, and after surgery, Kennedy’s endocrinologist, Ephraim Shorr, monitored

By that time, though, physicians realized that cortisone was no panacea.

The miracle drug had become a curse. his metabolism and administered cortisone, hydrocortisone, and desoxycorticosterone to compensate for his adrenal insufficiency (23).

Kennedy’s survival was significant enough to warrant a case study in the AMA Archives of Surgery (23).

Afterward, corticosteroids continued to control Kennedy’s addisonian symptoms, but they also progressively weakened his spine. During the White House years, he took hydrocortisone, prednisone, and fludrocortisone, along with drugs for his colitis (antidiarrheals), recurring urinary tract infections (antibiotics), a thyroid deficiency (liothyronine), weight loss (testosterone), and chronic back pain (procaine) (1, 3).

A New Norm Glucocorticoid treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is now extremely limited, but cortisone and its structurally related analogs have proven useful in more than 70 conditions involving inflammation and hypersensitivity. These include asthma, burns, skin rashes, organ transplants, lupus erythematosus flares, and eye inflammation. Intra-articular, inhaled, and topical formulations restrict side effects and are now preferred over systemic administration (15-17).

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Biosketch:

Ultimately, Hench’s positioning of cortisone as a research tool proved to be correct (15, 21). In the 1940s, research for arthritis drugs was “moribund, if not dead” (16). Then, cortisone electrified scientific interest, drew many talented researchers into the field, and led directly to development of today’s diseasemodifying arthritis drugs. But that’s another story.

References 1. Dallek R (December 2002) The medical ordeals of JFK. The Atlantic, pp. 49-61.

2. Gilbert RE (June 10, 2009) JFK and Addison’s Disease; available from: http://addisonshelp. blogspot.com/2009/06/jfk-and-addisons-disease.html.

3. Mandel LR (2009) Endocrine and autoimmune aspects of the health history of John F. Kennedy.

Ann Intern Med 151(5): 350-354.

4. Rooke T (2012) The Quest for Cortisone. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing.

Rebecca J. Anderson holds a bachelor’s in chemistry from Coe College and earned her doctorate in pharmacology from Georgetown University. She has 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development and now works as a technical writer.

Her most recent book is Nevirapine and the Quest to End Pediatric AIDS. Email

rebeccanderson@msn.com.

5. Editorial (1925) Studies in Addison’s disease; the Muirhead treatment. Can Med Assn J 15(4): 410-411.

6. Rowntree, LG (1925) Studies in Addison’s disease. JAMA 84(5): 327-335.

7. Kendall EC (1971) Cortisone: Memoirs of a Hormone Hunter. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York.

8. Wintersteiner O and Pfiffner JJ (1936) Chemical studies on the adrenal cortex. III. Isolation of two new physiologically inactive compounds. J Biol Chem 116: 291-305.

9. Steffen J (2012) Tadeusz Reichstein: the alchemist of vitamin science. Sight and Life 26(3): 44-48.

10. Kessler M (2008) Tadeus Reichstein. Encyclopedia.com. available from: http://www.encyclopedia. com/people/medicine/medicine-biographies/tadeus-reichstein.

11. Barton DHR (August 15, 1996) Obituary: Professor Tadeus Reichstein. Independent.co.uk. available from: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-professor-tadeusreichstein-1309911.html.

12. Wincewicz A, Sulkowska M, and Sulkowski S (2007) Tadeus Reichstein, co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine: On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of his birth in Poland.

Hormones 6(4): 341-343.

13. Glyn J (1998) The discovery and early use of cortisone. J Roy Soc Med 91: 513-517.

In the next issue of The Pharmacologist…

Dr. Anderson will share the story of misdiagnosing typhus Don’t miss the March 2017 issue.

14. Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (1950) Report of the council. Annual meeting of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry. JAMA 142(5): 339-341.

15. Burns CM (2016) The history of cortisone discovery and development. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 42: 1-14.

16. Sanders HJ (1968) Arthritis drugs: Research strikes forth in new directions, Part 3. Chem Eng News 46(34): 46-73.

17. Saenger AK (2010) Discovery of the wonder drug: from cows to cortisone. Citation Classic. Clin Chem 56(8): 1349-1350.

18. Lundberg GD (1992) Closing the case in JAMA on the John F. Kennedy autopsy. JAMA 286(13): 1736-1738.

19. Sarett LH (1946) Partial synthesis of pregnene-4-triol-17(),20(),21-dione-3,11 and pregnene-4-diol17(),21-trione-3,11,20 monoacetate. J Biol Chem 162: 601-631.

20. Marks HM (1992) Cortisone, 1949: a year in the political life of a drug. Bull Hist Med 66(3): 419-439.

21. Editorial (1950) Hormones in arthritis. N Engl J Med 243(4): 166-167.

22. Matteson EL, and Brown JL (2002) A patient remembers the miracle drug cortisone 50 years later.

MinnMed 85(6): 12-15.

23. Nicholas JA, Burstein CL, Umberger CJ, and Wilson PD (1955) Management of adrenocortical insufficiency during surgery. AMA Arch Surg 71(5): 737-742.

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Meeting News Chinese Pharmacological Society’s 14th National Conference October 22-25, 2016 Beijing, China Submitted by Kenneth E. Thummel, PhD The Chinese Pharmacological Society (CNPHARS) held its 14th National Conference in Beijing, October 22-25, 2016. In attendance as distinguished guests and plenary lecturers were ASPET Past-Presidents Ken Thummel and Sam Enna, who joined four other plenary speakers presenting over the course of the scientific meeting. Lecture topics were diverse and included a critical discussion of limitations in receptor targeted drug development for the treatment of CNS disorders, calcium-dependent neuronal signaling in the brain, discovery of molecular regulators of brain synapses, the role of dopamine signaling in motor cortex learning plasticity, mechanisms of interindividual differences in metformin PK/PD behavior, and pharmacogenetic discoveries and clinical associations that advance precision medicine for Alaska Native populations.

Much of the meeting was devoted to oral and poster presentations from a growing cadre of talented young CNPHARS scientists. The research presented was cutting edge and had a strong emphasis on the discovery of molecular mechanisms of action of Chinese natural medicines deployed in a variety of experimental disease models, with the hopes that such knowledge might lead to new and improved treatments for the Chinese people and the world.

The conference was also distinguished by a special awards ceremony that celebrated 20 years of financial support from Servier for Young Chinese Investigators in Pharmacology. Leadership from Servier and CNPHARS spoke of their enduring partnership and the importance of this program to advance the profession of pharmacology in China. In addition to a presentation of awards to the 2016 winners, there were written and oral testimonials from past award recipients, describing the transformative impact that this honor has had on their careers.

ASPET Past-President Ken Thummel (front row, second from left) with representatives from the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) and the Chinese Pharmacological Society at the CNPHARS conference in Beijing.

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Science Policy News

Congress Continues Bipartisan Support of Bio Research; Appropriations Still Unresolved The appropriations process has shown bipartisan support to help the National Institutes of Health (NIH) out of 13 years of flat funding but as of this writing, the Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the NIH and other government programs was due to expire December 9. Published reports this fall have indicated that the Appropriations Committees have been trying to write an omnibus bill to complete funding.

ASPET submitted two letters regarding appropriations; the first urging for a short-term CR to keep

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

the government open and a second letter, urging Congress to move quickly upon their return to complete action on an omnibus funding bill; which would combine the 12 individual measures passed by the appropriations committees earlier this year, including a $2 billion increase for NIH proposed by the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee.

For full versions of the two letters ASPET submitted, please go to https://www.aspet.org/advocacy/ position-statements-testimony/.

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Meet the 2017 ASPET Washington Fellows ASPET once again received a record number of applications for the 2017 Fellowship program, making the selection process extremely competitive.

All submissions were carefully reviewed and the ten strongest applicants were selected to come to Washington, D.C. this spring. Additionally, ASPET Washington Fellows receive complimentary registration to ASPET’s Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2017 in Chicago, where they will have the opportunity to network with each other and with Fellows from previous years.

Sophia Kaska was born and raised in Kansas.

She earned a BS in biochemistry from the University of Kansas. Following graduation, she began her career as a research assistant in the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She then entered the Pharmacology and Toxicology PhD program at Michigan State University where she is now in her

fifth year. Her research is focused on investigating the molecular neuroadaptations in the ventral tegmental area in response to opiates, stress, and stressinduced opiate reward.

As an ASPET Washington Fellow, Sophia is looking forward to learning how to Sophia Kaska communicate with elected Michigan State officials to advocate for University increased funding of biomedical research and to discuss how support for funding and research can impact the future of our nation and the world. Outside of the lab, she enjoys CrossFit and sharing her love of science with the public through outreach activities.

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Kenneth McCullough was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lewis and Clark College and gained his doctorate studying neuroscience with Dr. Kerry Ressler at Emory University. His dissertation work focused Kenneth McCullough on the identification and McLean Hospital, characterization of neural Harvard Medical School networks responsible for the learning and expression of associative fear. Kenneth is currently a post-doctoral fellow working under Dr. Bill Carlezon at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School. His work focuses on the role of the protein CREB in specific neural populations in the generation of sleep disturbances observed in models of depression.

This work is aimed at the discovery of translationally robust avenues for investigating and treating depression. As an ASPET Washington Fellow, Kenneth aims to advocate for the effective use of scientific knowledge and discoveries in governmental and judicial policy decisions.

Megan Jo Moerke, from Madison, Wisconsin, moved to Pennsylvania to earn her bachelor of arts degree in biology and theatre from Swarthmore College. Ever widening the circle from home, she attended graduate school at the University Megan Jo Moerke of Texas Health Science Virginia Commonwealth Center at San Antonio, University where her research focused on the behavioral pharmacology of drugs of abuse. While earning her doctoral degree in pharmacology, she also became increasingly involved in science communication and outreach, helping to organize and participating in many different types of events, primarily at the local level. Recently, she relocated to Richmond, VA after receiving a postdoctoral appointment in the

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. Megan hopes to use the opportunity of serving as an ASPET Washington Fellow to further develop the skills required to effectively advocate for public funding of scientific research, and build upon her experience with local science outreach by extending it to a national level.

Amreen Mughal is a PhD candidate at the North Dakota State University Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Her current research is focused on vasoactive effects of a novel neuropeptide ‘Apelin’ which is Amreen Mughal envisioned as a potential North Dakota State therapeutic molecule for University treating cardiovascular diseases and is currently under multiple clinical trials. Amreen is engaged in promoting strategic platforms for diverse and interdisciplinary research by participating in policy making and student development activities. She looks forward to this new experience.

Jacques Nguyen is an international scholar from Quebec, Canada. He received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Notre Dame and earned his doctorate in pharmacology and neuroscience at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. He is currently Jacques D. a postdoctoral research Nguyen associate at the Scripps Scripps Research Research Institute under the Institute mentorship of Dr. Michael Taffe, and he currently serves as the postdoctoral representative in the Behavioral Pharmacology Division of ASPET. His research is focused on the neurobiology of drug abuse and addiction, specifically the investigation of behavioral consequences of substance abuse and

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the development and characterization of novel therapeutic approaches for addiction. As an ASPET Washington Fellow, Jacques aims to utilize his experience as an international scholar to educate and to fortify strong relationships between biomedical researchers and leaders within public policy, to advocate for the collaboration within the national and international scientific community, and to advance the role of science in national health policy.

Mikaela Sifuentes grew up in Dallas, TX and earned her bachelor of science in biology from the University of Dallas. As a current PhD candidate, she studies the mechanism of thyroid hormone neuroprotection after stroke under the guidance of Dr. Jim Lechleiter. After earning a Mikaela Sifuentes translational science grant, University of Texas Health Science Center she became interested in the clinical and public at San Antonio health aspects of disease, leading her to become active in science outreach and spreading awareness of cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases within at-risk communities. She has since secured independent funding from the American Heart Association (AHA), and has participated with the AHA’s Voices for Healthy Kids in advocating for health-conscious policies at the Texas capitol. As a young scientist, Mikaela has become a proponent for diversity in science and improving communication with the public as a means of promoting science policy. Through the ASPET Washington Fellows program, she hopes to learn specific strategies to advocate effectively for research funding and science-backed legislation.

Douglas Smith Virginia Commonwealth University

Douglas Smith received his bachelor of science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia

Tech) and is currently a second-year graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. While an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech, he received an ASPET Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to conduct research on the behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens under the mentorship of Dr. William Fantegrossi at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His current research interests overlap basic behavioral pharmacology and the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs, and he is currently examining the antidepressant-like behavioral effects of the dissociative hallucinogen ketamine and its isomers in several preclinical assays. He hopes the ASPET Washington Fellows program will help him develop connections with congressional delegates in influencing science policy and minimizing the regulatory hurdles imposed on scientists who work with schedule I compounds.

Karen Tonsfeldt was born and raised in central Oregon. She received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and zoology from Oregon State University. Her PhD is in neuroscience from Oregon Health & Science University. Her Karen Tonsfeldt graduate work with Dr. University of California, Susan Ingram examined San Diego the neurophysiological basis of sex differences in opioid action and descending pain modulation. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, where she continues to study the neurophysiological differences between males and females, particularly in the context of circadian biology and reproduction. Through the Washington Fellows program, Dr. Tonsfeldt hopes to learn how to effectively advocate why it is critical to include female models in health sciences research. She also hopes to understand how science education policies are made. Growing up in a rural district, she appreciates the need for science education in regions without major universities so that students can learn the importance of science.

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Raghav Tripathi was raised in Portland, Oregon. He earned his undergraduate degree in medical anthropology (with a certificate in global health and minors in biology and chemistry) at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, OH. Raghav Tripathi He studied public health Case Western Reserve and medical anthropology University at the University of Oxford in 2016, and is currently completing his Masters in Public Health with a focus in healthcare policy and administration at CWRU. Raghav will continue at CWRU as an MD candidate in 2017. His previous research primarily includes both biochemical and clinical work in epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, cardiopharmacology, drug design/synthesis, and hyperglycemia. Raghav's current research is in epidemiological analyses of healthcare disparities in treatment, outcomes, and demographics of nonmelanoma skin cancers. Ultimately, Raghav hopes to be a practicing physician with an active role in healthcare policy, clinical research, education, and science advocacy. As an ASPET Washington Fellow, Raghav is very excited to affect science policy on both a local and national level to advocate for increased research funding and awareness of scientific issues with fellow scientists, lawmakers, and the general public.

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Alexandria Trujillo was born and raised in Elmira, NY and moved to Buffalo to complete a BS in biological sciences at the University at Buffalo.

While an undergrad, she worked with programs such as Medical Science and Technology Entry Alexandria Trujillo Program (STEP) and Say University at Buffalo Yes Buffalo to increase STEM interest and engagement with Buffalo students. After joining Dr. Jack Sullivan’s lab with a research interest of using hammerhead ribozymes as therapeutics for retinal degenerations for her PhD studies, she continued to work to increase STEM literacy in underperforming and underserved Buffalo Public Schools through the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership (ISEP) program assisting teachers and running a science club. Alexandria hopes to increase the amount of individuals from underrepresented groups entering into STEM professions by participating in programs to increase scientific literacy and interest and will use the Washington Fellows Program to gain insight on political processes to secure and advocate for such programs.

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Education News Annual British Pharmacological Society Meeting: Pharmacology 2016 ASPET Travel Award Winners ASPET was a guest society at the annual meeting of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS), Pharmacology 2016, which took place December 13-15, 2016 in London, UK. This was an international event with two other guest societies: the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Chinese Pharmacological Society. To help our student and trainee members offset the cost of attending the meeting, ASPET awarded competitive travel awards to the BPS annual meeting. Applicants had to be the presenting author on an abstract submitted to the meeting. We were pleased with the enthusiastic response to this opportunity, and thank all who submitted applications.

Congratulations to the Pharmacology 2016 travel award recipients: • Almaris Figueroa-Gonzalez, undergraduate student at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras; Intranasal OT reduces cocaine conditioned locomotion and elicits changes in endocannabinoid receptors within the mesolimbic system • Joseph Lebowitz, graduate student at the University of Florida College of Medicine; Kv2.1 and the dopamine transporter interact in dopaminergic neurons • Joshua Lorenz-Guertin, graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh; Characterizing a novel tool to monitor pharmacologically-induced changes in GABAAR trafficking • Angela Redmond, PhD, postdoctoral scientist at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; Sex and agonist-specific mechanisms of cannabinoid tolerance • Alaa Shahare, undergraduate student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Effects of milrinone and rolipram on the renal microcirculation during sepsis in the rat pup

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Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students (PIIPS) Program • To facilitate opportunities for PhD students to make informed decisions about careers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors as well as other allied disciplines such as the FDA and Contract Research Organizations.

• To increase participation by industrial organizations in graduate student internships.

Launched through the BIG IDEAS I initiative, the Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students (PIIPS) program is a unique funding opportunity to establish institutional programs that provide PhD students with experience in industrial settings, such as the pharmaceutical/biotechnology or government regulatory sectors, while enrolled in graduate school.

Preparation for a diverse array of career paths is becoming increasingly important in graduate training, and ASPET is pleased to be able to provide support for this new program.

The objectives of the PIIPS program include: • To increase opportunities for PhD students enrolled in graduate programs with an emphasis on pharmacology to participate in industrial internships during their graduate training.

• To develop and foster university-industry partnerships facilitating diversity in graduate training and career options related to pharmacology.

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The program opened for submissions over the summer. The number and quality of applications was impressive, and emphasized the timeliness of a program that helps graduate students explore possible careers in industry. The programs selected for funding are: • Duke University Medical Center Program Director: Cynthia Kuhn, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology • University of California, San Diego School of Medicine Program Director: Joan Heller Brown, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology • University of Illinois, Chicago, College of Pharmacy Program Director: Joanna Burdette, PhD, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Education, Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, and Center for Biomedical Sciences Each program will receive funding for three years to support graduate students while they undertake internships with partners in industry. Proposed partners range from smaller start-ups to established pharma companies, and cover a wide range of specialties and possible placements. We congratulate these new institutional programs, and look forward to following their progress. We also extend our thanks to all who applied.

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Individual Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program Applications Due March 1, 2017 for Summer 2017 Fellowships

limited to, students representing departments of pharmacology, toxicology, pharmaceutical sciences, and/or biological chemistry are invited to apply to the program. Applications from women and underrepresented minorities are particularly encouraged.

Program Details ASPET’s individual SURF program introduces undergraduate students to pharmacology research through a 10-week laboratory research experience.

The goal of the program is to use authentic, mentored research experiences in pharmacology to heighten student interest in careers in research and related health care disciplines. The SURF individual awards are intended to support students whose institutions do not have a currently funded institutional SURF program. Research may be conducted at the student’s home institution or another institution, as appropriate to the research project.

Who Should Apply Undergraduate students conducting pharmacology-related research including, but not

• Students must apply with a mentor who is a regular member of ASPET in good standing or a retired member who is still active in research.

• Students and mentors must have already identified, and briefly describe, a summer research project that the student proposes to undertake.

• If awarded, ASPET will provide a student stipend of $2800 for a minimum of ten weeks’ participation.

• The student must apply for membership in ASPET at the beginning of their summer research experience. Undergraduate student membership in ASPET is free.

For more information and to apply, please visit https://www.aspet.org/awards/SURF/. For questions, please contact Catherine L. Fry, PhD at cfry@aspet.org.

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Journals News New Websites Launched The websites for Drug Metabolism and Disposition, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Molecular Pharmacology, and Pharmacological Reviews have been redesigned.

Each journal’s URL remains the same, but the new, cleaner design provides several additional features for readers: • A rotating image carousel on the homepage highlights recently published articles • The latest articles are listed on the homepage • Navigation through the site is easier with convenient drop down menus at the top and clear menus at the bottom of every page • Articles include tabs for Full Text, Figures & Data, and Information & Metrics • Each article’s Information & Metrics tab lists citations to the article indexed by Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Google • Figures can be downloaded directly to PowerPoint

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• The sites use responsive design so they adjust automatically for optimal viewing on desktop computers, tablets, and smart phones The sites continue to provide content alerts in various forms, article PDF and Data Supplement in one file, handy links to the manuscript submission websites and permissions request form, and links to share articles through social media. There are also links to each journal’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

ASPET membership includes access to the Society’s journals. Members only need to activate their subscription to take advantage of this benefit, and activation takes only a moment. All you need is your ASPET member number. Forgot your number?

Just email membership@aspet.org.

When you activate your subscription, you will be asked to create a user name and password. You can use your ASPET member user name and password so you have one user name/password combination for ASPET. If you have already activated your subscription, you can change your user name and password to use the same user name and password for the journals and the members-only section of the ASPET website.

Take advantage of your member subscription so you can easily access ASPET’s journals anywhere on your desktop, tablet, and smart phone.

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Molecular Pharmacology November Special Section: A Latin American Perspective on G Protein-Coupled Receptors G protein-coupled receptors are one of the major sensors of changes in the external (lights, odors, flavors) and internal (hormones, neurotransmitters, autacoids, etc.) milieus. They participate in the maintenance of homeostasis and in the pathogenesis of maladies, being targets of a large percentage of prescribed and illegal drugs. The special section of the Molecular Pharmacology November issue contains a series of invited reviews that highlights some of the work performed on the subject in Latin America, with the idea of promoting international collaboration. The reviews include current concepts and analysis of ligand-receptor interactions, structural and functional characteristics of a variety

of these receptors, as well as their function in health and disease.

Dr. André S. Pupo of the Department of Pharmacology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil and Dr. J. Adolfo Garcia-Sáinz of the Instituto de Fisiologia Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico served as the guest editors for the special section.

The special section articles are freely accessible through January 19, 2017 and can be accessed from the issue’s table of contents at http://molpharm. aspetjournals.org/content/90/5.

New Editorial Board Members The Board of Publications Trustees is pleased to welcome Dr. Namandje Bumpus of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. R. Scott Obach at Pfizer Global Research and Development as associate editors

Dr. Namandje Bumpus

Dr. R. Scott Obach

for Drug Metabolism and Disposition. They also welcome Dr. T.J. Murphy of Emory University as an associate editor for Molecular Pharmacology.

Dr. T.J. Murphy

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Membership News New Members REGULAR MEMBERS William Atkins, Univ of Washington Adriana R. Barros, Univ of Fortaleza, Brazil Camron D. Bryant, Boston Univ Sch of Med, MA Sophocles Chrissobolis, Ohio Northern Univ Sarah C. Clayton, Des Moines Univ, IA Richard Daneman, Univ of California, San Diego Francesca Di Sole, Des Moines Univ, IA John Fu, Univ of Virginia Courtney Glavis-Bloom, Dart Neuroscience, CA Jeffrey D. Laskin, Rutgers Univ, NJ Karen Liby, Michigan State Univ Hassan A. Madkhali, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz Univ, Saudi Arabia Navita L. Mallalieu, Roche Pharmaceutical Res & Early Dev, NY Noah J. Marcus, Des Moines Univ, IA John L. Nitiss, Univ of Illinois Srinath Palakurthi, TX Bedour A. Qabazard, Kuwait Univ Charu Rajput, Univ of Michigan Dileep K. Rohra, Alfaisal Univ, Pakistan Quaiser Saquib, King Saud Univ, Coll of Science, Saudi Arabia Phoebe Stapleton, Rutgers Univ, NJ Susan S. Taylor, Univ of California, San Diego Jose L. Walewski, Columbia Univ Med Ctr, NY Sukyung Woo, Univ of Oklahoma HSC Kris C. Wood, Duke Univ, NC Youngjae You, Univ of Oklahoma HSC Hiroaki Yuasa, Nagoya City Univ, Grad Sch of Pharmaceut Sci, Japan The Pharmacologist • December 2016

POSTDOCTORAL MEMBERS Michael D. Berquist II, Univ of Arkansas for Med Sciences Thomas W. Flanagan, Louisiana State Univ HSC Emily R. Hankosky, Univ of Kentucky Allan H. Pang, Univ of Kentucky Jose A. Pino, Univ of Florida Angela H. Redmond, Pennsylvania State Univ Coll of Med Elizabeth Rhea, Univ of Washington Juwina Wijaya, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, TN Veera G. Yerra, NIPER-Hyderabad, India

GRADUATE STUDENT MEMBERS Anu Mary Abraham, Government Med Coll, India Bisi O. Adeoye, Univ of Ibadan, Nigeria Temitayo O. Ajibade, Univ of Ibadan, Nigeria Novera Alam, Tufts Univ, MA Tuqa F. Alkhateeb, East Tennessee State Univ Rondine Allen, Univ of Iowa Haneen A. Amawi, Univ of Toledo, OH Shane D. Anderson, Western Univ of Health Sci, CA Ibrahim M. Badamasi, Univ Putra Malaysia Souravh Bais, Rayat Inst of Pharmacy, India

Purva Bali, Icahn School of Med at Mount Sinai, NY Gareeballah O.A. Balla, Chonbuk Natl Univ, South Korea Sumit Bandekar, Univ of Michigan Zachary D. Brodnik, Drexel Univ, PA Jieyun Cao, Univ of the Pacific, CA Michael D. Caponegro, Stony Brook Univ, NY Liming Chen, Univ of Connecticut Sch of Pharmacy Eryn E. Dixon, Univ of Maryland Sch of Med Marie A. Doyle, Michigan State Univ Sarah T. Dubaisi, Wayne State Univ, MI Mohammed A. El-khatib, Alexandria Univ, Fac of Pharmacy, Egypt Andrew V. Feigley, Vanderbilt Univ, TN Daniel C. Ferguson, Univ at Buffalo, NY Whitney S. Gibbs, Medical Univ of South Carolina Anne S. Gibson, Univ of Utah Amanda R. Gross, Tufts Univ Sackler Sch of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, MA Safaa H. Hammoud, Beirut Arab University, Lebanon Carley J. Heck, Johns Hopkins Sch of Med, MD J M. Hoffman, Univ of Louisville, KY Hailey A. Houson, Univ of Oklahoma HSC William S. Hyatt, Univ of Arkansas for Med Sciences Alexis Jaramillo Cartagena, Rockefeller Univ, NY Kent Jorgenson, Univ of Wisconsin – Madison Vanessa V. Juettner, Univ of Illinois at Chicago

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Nasir I. Khatab, UPM Univ, Malaysia Okoro O. Kingsley, Nnamdi Azikiwe Univ Teaching Hosp, Nigeria Jackson D. Kyle, SUNY Stony Brook, NY Katherine E. Lansu, Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Joseph J. Lebowitz, Univ of Florida Coll of Med Gloria Y. Lee, Florida State Univ Coll of Med Korin E. Leffler, East Carolina Univ – Brody Sch of Med, NC Steven A. Lewis, Univ at Buffalo, NY Joshua M. Lorenz-Guertin, Univ of Pittsburgh, PA Kenneth M. McCullough, Emory Univ, GA Ian M. McDonald, Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Christina R. Merritt, Univ of Texas MedBranch Ryan A. Mischel, Virginia Commonwealth Univ Farha J. Mithila, Tufts Univ, MA Mensur S. Mohammed, St. Paul's Hospital Mellenium Med Coll, Ethiopia Bruno M. Moukette, Univ of Massachusetts Abbas Muhammad, Coll of Pharmacy, Univ of Kentucky Katharine H. Nelson, American Univ, DC Katherine E. Newns, Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sch of Med Michael K. Ng, CA Duuamene Nyimanu, Univ of Cambridge, UK Angelique Nyinawabera, Univ of Toledo, OH Grace O. Ochigbo, Univ of Ibadan, Nigeria Thomas F. Pack, Duke Univ, NC Parimal S. Pande, Univ of Connecticut Harshul Pandit, Univ of Louisville, KY Alberto L. Perez-Medina, Michigan State Univ Charles K. Perry, Northeastern Univ, MA

Simone R. Potje, Univ of Illinois Bonnie Quach, Weill Cornell Graduate Sch, NY Shun Ying Quah, Univ Putra Malaysia Mohammad A. Rahman, Univ of Tennessee HSC Qiu T. Ruan, Boston Univ School of Med, MA Ian C. Schalo, Univ of Oklahoma HSC Mark Shaaya, Univ of Illinois at Chicago Katherine Shatzer, Univ of Houston Coll of Pharmacy, TX Megan M. Shuey, Vanderbilt Univ, TN Hon Liong Soo, Univ Putra Malaysia Matthew A. Stanczyk, Univ of Michigan Celeste M. Underriner, Univ of Wisconsin, Madison Venkata Ramana Vaka, Univ of Mississippi Med Center Jingming Wang, SUNY Stony Brook, NY Zara Y. Weinberg, Carnegie Mellon Univ, PA Meikui Wu, Kumamoto Univ, Grad Sch of Med Sci, Japan Dianne Aster Y. Yap, Univ of Texas Medical Branch Fiona C. Yau, Univ at Buffalo, NY Amber S. Zhou, Univ of WisconsinMadison

Shiqi Tang, Purdue Univ, IN Ting Wu, Southern Med Univ, Sch of Pharmaceutical Sci, China Karen L. Xu, Duke Univ, NC Eric Zhu, Rutgers Univ, NJ

In Sympathy P. Michael Conn Louis Lemberger Ronald J. Tallarida

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT MEMBERS Alice M. Allcock, Univ of Bath, UK Sarah E. Carlan, Virginia Commonwealth Univ Almaris N. Figueroa-Gonzalez, Univ of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus Daniel J. Griffin, Univ of Arkansas at Fayetteville Alexander C. Jones, Hendrix Coll, AR Arsany R. Makkar, Rutgers Univ, NJ Simran A. Polce, New York Insti of Technology Rebecca M. Spry, Oglethorpe Univ, GA

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Members in the News Achievements, Awards, Promotions, and Scientific Breakthroughs Donald P. McDonnell, PhD Donald P. McDonnell, PhD, from Duke University School of Medicine has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, an independent advisory organization made up of leading professionals in health, medicine and the Dr. Donald P. natural, social, and behavioral McDonnell sciences. Dr. McDonnell was Duke University among 79 new members School of Medicine elected from both the United States and abroad.

The National Academy of Medicine serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as adviser to the national and the international community.

Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

New members are elected by current active members through a selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.

Dr. McDonnell is chairman of the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and the GlaxoWellcome Professor of Molecular Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. He is also the codirector of the Women’s Cancer Program at the Duke Cancer Institute.

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Dr. McDonnell’s work focuses on the development of new ways to treat and prevent breast and prostate cancers. He and his team are recognized as leading innovators in the field of drug discovery and their work has resulted in the identification of several drugs that are currently available to patients or which are currently under development. His most recent work has led to the definition of biochemical links between obesity, elevated cholesterol and increased risk of breast cancer and therapy failure in breast cancer patients.

Dr. McDonnell received a degree in biochemistry from the National University of Ireland (Galway) and was awarded a PhD in cell biology from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he then joined the faculty. After a short tenure with Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., he joined Duke University in 1994 and has served numerous leadership roles prior to being named department chair.

He has been an ASPET member since 2013 and is a member of the Divisions for Drug Discovery and Development and Molecular Pharmacology.

Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh Samba Reddy, PhD, RPh, professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics at Texas A&M University College of Medicine, has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Association for Dr. Samba Reddy Texas A&M University the Advancement of Science College of Medicine (AAAS). Dr. Reddy received

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this significant honor for his distinguished efforts to advance science and its applications.

Dr. Reddy aided in the discovery of many preclinical models, new mechanism-based treatment strategies, and successful “first-in-class” medicines for brain disorders such as epilepsy, brain injury and chemical neurotoxicity. His work over the past two decades has contributed greatly to the understanding of epilepsy neuroscience. Dr. Reddy’s translational research has resulted in excellent advances in the field, including two lead compounds advancing into the clinical stage. In addition, he introduced the neurosteroid replacement therapy for epilepsy. Dr. Reddy also invented specific neurotoxic countermeasures, which has national significance in the biodefense field.

Dr. Reddy received his pharmacy and doctorate degrees from Kakatiya University and Panjab University in India. He spent three years at the National Institutes of Health as a Postdoctoral Fellow and six years at North Carolina State before going to Texas A&M in 2008.

Dr. Reddy has been an ASPET member since 1999 and is a member of the Divisions for Neuropharmacology, Drug Discovery and Development, and Translational and Clinical Pharmacology.

Kathryn E. Meier, PhD Kathryn E. Meier, PhD, professor at Washington State University College of Pharmacy, has been honored with a 2016 Inspiring Women in STEM Award. Dr. Meier was one of 65 scientists across Dr. Kathryn E. Meier the country who received this prestigious honor.

Washington State Dr. Meier was chosen for University College of the award for her scientific Pharmacy work and achievements that encourage others in the field and inspire a new generation of young women to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

Her laboratory’s recent work has focused on GPCR receptor-mediated mechanisms by which omega-3

fatty acids inhibit the growth of cancers. Dr. Meier’s research has produced over 80 articles and book chapters and nearly 100 published abstracts.

Dr. Meier received a BA in biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She was an NIH predoctoral trainee with the Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Wisconsin and an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the Division for Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, where she worked with Dr. Paul Insel, this year’s recipient of ASPET’s Julius Axelrod Award in Pharmacology.

Dr. Meier has held positions with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, and with the Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. She has been at Washington State University since 2003, where she has held many important roles.

Dr. Meier has spearheaded the Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students (PIIPS) program, which was implemented by ASPET this year. She is also the director of ASPET’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow program at Washington State University.

Earlier this year, Dr. Meier was selected by ASPET’s Board of Publications Trustees to succeed Dr. Stephen F. Traynelis as the next editor of Molecular Pharmacology. She will officially become the editor in January 2017 when Dr. Traynelis’ term ends.

Dr. Meier has been an ASPET member since 1994 and is a member of the Division for Molecular Pharmacology, where she has served as secretary/ treasurer.

An in-depth interview with Dr. Meier that was recently published in The Spokesman-Review can be found at http://bit.ly/2eJFqU9.

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V. Craig Jordan, OBE, PhD V. Craig Jordan, OBE, PhD, Living Legend Chair for Cancer Research in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been recognized Dr. Craig Jordan by the German Society University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer of Gynaecology and Obstetrics with the award Center of their Fellowship. He was further recognized by their Society as one of four individuals as “The Big Four of the Millennium,” who had created current women’s healthcare.

Dr. Jordan is the scientist who developed the translations laboratory principals to use long term adjuvant tamoxifen therapy as the first targeted treatment in cancer. Millions of lives have been saved following a diagnosis of breast cancer. Dr. Jordan is referred to as the “Father of Tamoxifen.”

He subsequently discovered the new group of medicines, Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs), with his discovery that raloxifene could prevent both osteoporosis and breast cancer. He was recognized last year by the British Pharmacological Society with the Sir James Black Award for Contributions to Drug Discovery.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, inducted Dr. Jordan into the Order of the British Empire in 2002 for his services to international breast cancer research.

Dr. Jordan is a member of prestigious societies such as the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Medicine, and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Dr. Jordan was the recipient of the ASPET Goodman and Gilman Award in Receptor Pharmacology in 2012 and received the PharmaciaASPET Award in Experimental Therapeutics in 1993. He has been an ASPET member since 1981 and is a member of the Divisions for Molecular Pharmacology, Drug Discovery and Development, Drug Metabolism, Pharmacology Education, Translational and Clinical Pharmacology, and Toxicology.

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Roshanak Rahimian, PhD Roshanak Rahimian, PharmD, MSc, PhD, a professor of physiology and pharmacology at Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California was Dr. Roshanak awarded an R15 grant from Rahimian the National Heart, Lung and University of the Blood Institute (NHLBI) for Pacific, Thomas her study entitled “Diabetes, J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Estrogen and Endothelial Dysfunction". This NIH Sciences grant allows Dr. Rahimian to continue her research on the vascular effects of estrogen. She contributes the experience and expertise gained from two decades of working in the field of sex differences in vascular function to explore the basis for the loss of sex-based cardiovascular protection in diabetes.

Dr. Rahimian has been an ASPET member since 2001 and is a member of the Divisions for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Translational and Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacology Education, and Molecular Pharmacology.

Anastasios Lymperopoulos, PhD Anastasios Lymperopoulos, BPharm, MSc, PhD, FAHA, FESC, Associate Professor of Pharmacology with Nova Southeastern University’s College of Pharmacy, was elected in December 2015 as a Fellow of the prestigious Dr. Anastasios European Society of Lymperopoulos Cardiology (FESC). He was Nova Southeastern University College of officially bestowed with this recognition during the Pharmacy Annual European Society of Cardiology Congress, which took place in August 2016 in Rome, Italy.

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Dr. Lymperopoulos received this recognition for his research work and contributions to the field of heart failure and of cardiovascular disease, in general, including significant scientific contributions to the field of cardiovascular G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pharmacology, reported in several high impact journals, such as Nature Medicine, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation, PNAS, and JPET. This fellowship is a tribute of recognition and appreciation by his peers and the entire European cardiology community.

Dr. Lymperopoulos is also a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA). He has been a member of ASPET since 2015 and is a member of the Divisions for Cardiovascular Pharmacology, Drug Discovery and Development, Pharmacology Education, Molecular Pharmacology, and Translational and Clinical Pharmacology.

P. Michael Conn, PhD P. Michael Conn, PhD, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, recently released a new book entitled Conn’s Translational Neuroscience.

Edited by Dr. Conn, the book provides a comprehensive overview reflecting the depth and breadth of the field of translational neuroscience, with input from a distinguished panel of basic and clinical investigators. This book alternates scientific and clinical chapters that explain the basic science underlying neurological processes and then relates that science to the understanding of neurological disorders and their treatment. Chapters cover disorders of the spinal cord, neuronal migration, the autonomic nervous system, the limbic system, ocular motility, and the basal ganglia, as well as demyelinating disorders, stroke, dementia and abnormalities of cognition, congenital chromosomal and genetic abnormalities, Parkinson's disease, nerve trauma, peripheral neuropathy, aphasias, sleep disorders, and myasthenia gravis. This book provides an up-to-date and accessible guide to brain functions at the cellular and molecular level and a clear demonstration of their emerging diagnostic and therapeutic importance.

For more information on Conn’s Translational Neuroscience, please visit http://bit.ly/2fsuGuS. Dr. Conn was a member of ASPET since 1984.

As this issue went to press, ASPET learned of the passing of Dr. Conn on Saturday, November 26, 2016 in Lubbock, TX.

David H. Farb, PhD David H. Farb, PhD gave a presentation on the pharmacological basis for understanding “entheogens” to a sold-out screening of “Embrace of the Serpent” at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Based on the real-life journals Dr. David H. Farb of Theodor Koch-Grünberg Boston University and Richard Evans Schultes School of Medicine and their quests through the Columbian Amazon for the sacred and rare yakruna plant, the film focuses on their encounter with Karamakate, a shaman and the last survivor of his people. They forge a profound friendship over 40 years and learn ancient lessons in the sacred and medicinal powers of plants.

A neuropharmacologist, Dr. Farb focused on the use of plants, particularly hallucinogens, by shaman throughout history and how "entheogens" were studied and exploited by 20th century western scientists.

Science on Screen is supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and others, and copresented by the Boston Museum of Science.

Dr. Farb has been a member of ASPET since 1994 and is a member of the Divisions for Pharmacology Education and Neuropharmacology.

Embrace of the Serpent

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Henrik Dohlman, PhD Henrik Dohlman, PhD, was named Chair of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, effective Oct. 1. Dr. Dohlman joined the UNC faculty 15 years ago, and holds a joint appointment with the Dr. Henrik Department of Biochemistry and Dohlman Biophysics where he previously University of served as Vice Chair. In addition, North Carolina at Dr. Dohlman is a member of the Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at UNC, Associate Editor of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His research efforts have led to greater understanding of GPCR signaling and desensitization mechanisms.

Dr. Dohlman has been an ASPET member since 2007 and is a member of the Division for Molecular Pharmacology.

Rennolds S. Ostrom, PhD

Dr. Rennolds S. Ostrom Chapman University School of Pharmacy

Rennolds S. Ostrom, PhD was recently promoted to Professor of Pharmacology at Chapman University School of Pharmacy in Irvine, CA. Dr. Ostrom has been an ASPET member since 1999 and is a member of the Divisions for Molecular Pharmacology and Cardiovascular Pharmacology.

Gregory G. Tall, PhD

Dr. Gregory G. Tall University of Michigan

Alan V. Smrcka, PhD

Dr. Alan V. Smrcka University of Michigan

The Pharmacologist • December 2016

Alan V. Smrcka, PhD joined the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan as full Professor. He was previously at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He is an Associate Editor of Molecular Pharmacology.

Dr. Smrcka has been a member of ASPET since 1997 and is a member of the Divisions for Molecular Pharmacology, Cardiovascular Pharmacology, and Neuropharmacology.

Kelly Karpa, PhD

Kelly R. Monk, PhD

Kelly R. Monk, PhD was recently promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in the Washington University School of Medicine Department of Developmental Biology. Dr. Monk has been an ASPET member since 2015 and is a member of the Divisions for Molecular Pharmacology, Dr. Kelly R. Monk Neuropharmacology, and Drug Discovery and Development.

Washington University School of Medicine

Gregory G. Tall, PhD joined the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan as Associate Professor. He was previously at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Tall has been an ASPET member since 2009 and is a member of the Divisions for Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Pharmacology.

Dr. Kelly Karpa Penn State College of Medicine

Kelly Karpa, PhD, RPh was recently promoted to Assistant Dean for Interprofessional Education at Penn State College of Medicine. Dr. Karpa has been a member of ASPET since 2010 and is a member of the Division for Pharmacology Education.

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Interested in sharing your achievements, news, and promotions with the ASPET membership?

Contact your division’s communication officer: Behavioral Pharmacology: Kevin S. Murnane, PhD murnane_ks@mercer.edu

Drug Metabolism: Yurong Lai, PhD yurong.lai@bms.com

Pharmacology Education: Catherine M. Davis, PhD cdavis91@jhmi.edu

Cancer Pharmacology: R. Kiplin Guy, PhD kip.guy@uky.edu

Molecular Pharmacology: Kathryn E. Livingston, PhD kelsaliv@umich.edu

Toxicology: Monica Valentovic, PhD valentov@marshall.edu

Cardiovascular Pharmacology: Rayna J. Gonzales, PhD rjgonzal@arizona.edu Drug Discovery and Development: Przemyslaw Radwanski, PharmD Przemyslaw.Radwanski@osumc.edu

Amy E. Moritz, PhD amy.moritz@nih.gov Neuropharmacology: Anil Kumar, PhD kumaran@umkc.edu

Translational & Clinical Pharmacology: Naeem K. Patil, PhD naeem.patil@vanderbilt.edu

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Division News 2017 Division Elections The 2017 election includes nominees for ASPET Council (President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect, and Councilor), as well as Division officers (Division for Behavioral Pharmacology (BEH), Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology (CVP), Division for

Drug Discovery and Development (DDD), Division for Drug Metabolism (DM), Division for Molecular Pharmacology (MP), and Division for Pharmacology Education (DPE)). Members will receive notification when the election opens on January 9, 2017.

Division for Behavioral Pharmacology Nominees for Chair-Elect

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Gregory T. Collins, PhD Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Jun-Xu Li, MD, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, State University of New York at Buffalo

Susan K. Wood, PhD Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine

Have You Joined a Division?

Take full advantage of ASPET membership by joining a division!

• Participate in creating the scientific program for the annual meeting

• Access to leadership opportunities within the division

• Network with people in your field at mixers, division programs, and on each division’s LinkedIn group

• Receive special notices about events and activities of interest in your field

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Division for Cardiovascular Pharmacology Nominees for Chair-Elect

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect

David W. Busija, PhD Regents Endowed Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine

Amy C. Arnold, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

Fadi T. Khasawneh, PhD Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso

Anastasios Lymperopoulos, PhD Associate Professor of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University

Hemal H. Patel, PhD Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego

Douglas Tilley, PhD Assistant Professor, Center for Translational Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Division for Drug Discovery and Development Nominees for Chair-Elect Craig Beeson, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Alvin V. Terry Jr., PhD Regents Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University; Associate Vice President for Basic Science Research, Augusta University

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Division for Drug Metabolism Nominees for Chair-Elect

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect

Xinxin Ding, PhD Professor of Nanobioscience, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute

Hyunyoung (Young) Jeong, PharmD, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Illinois Chicago

Aiming Yu, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis

Jed N. Lampe, PhD Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Medical Center

Division for Molecular Pharmacology Nominees for Chair-Elect J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD Professor, Department of Pharmacology; Associate Director of Basic Science, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego

Tracy Handel, PhD Professor, Department of Pharmacology, and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS); Chair, Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, SSPPS. University of California, San Diego

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Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Yang Kevin Xiang, PhD Professor, University of California, Davis

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Division for Pharmacology Education Nominees for Chair-Elect

Nominees for Secretary/Treasurer-Elect

Laurel Gorman, PhD Associate Professor, Pharmacology and Medical Education, University of Central Florida College of Medicine

Shafiqur Rahman, PhD Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, South Dakota State University

Helmut B. Gottlieb, PhD Associate Professor, Feik School of Pharmacy, University of the Incarnate Word

Arun Ram, MD Associate Professor of Pharmacotherapeutics; Module Co-Director Foundational Sciences II of MD Program; Course Director, Clinical Pharmacology, Master of Physician Assistant (MPA) Program; Eastern Virginia Medical School

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Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Career Development Site Visits In August 2016, the Translational and Clinical Pharmacology (TCP) division of ASPET launched a professional development program for graduate students and post docs, “Career Development Site Visits”, which allowed trainees the opportunity to explore different career paths. TCP provided funding to visit either Janssen R&D, LLC, (Spring House, PA) or the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (Logan, Utah). The visits were organized by TCP executive committee members, Dr. Pamela Hornby (Janssen site), and Dr. Ben Green (ARS site). Among the many applications received by TCP, 6 trainees were selected: Farhana Sakloth and Blessy George visited the ARS facility; and Monica Javidnia, Naeem Patil, Sukhada Bhave and Narasimha Midde visited Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The program was a great success and all the trainees had a very enriching experience. Please read below for individual trainee experiences:

Dr. Pamela Hornby (center) with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on their site visit to Janssen R & D, LLC, in Spring House, PA.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals site visit “It was a privilege to be selected for the ASPET Careers in Translational and Clinical Pharmacology site visit program. I enjoyed meeting the other fellows, Dr. Hornby, and researchers and staff to learn what life is like as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, and more specifically, as a team member at Janssen. As a 4th year doctoral candidate, I am beginning to explore potential career paths, particularly ones outside of academia. This program is an excellent way for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows to get a better understanding of the opportunities available on and off the bench while networking with people around the country. It was an eye-opening experience, and one that I am very grateful for.”

– Monica Javidnia, Graduate Student, Department of Neurology, Georgetown University “The one day industry visit to Janssen, PA organized by ASPET`s TCP division was a very enriching experience. The entire day`s activities were very well organized and coordinated by Dr. Pamela Hornby. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to the experts from the industry and learning about their career paths. I realized how the industry helps to unfold different career paths ranging from basic research, clinical research, and scientific writing to more managerial/business options. As a graduate student, my immediate interest was to learn about postdoc positions in the industry. This industry visit provided a great opportunity to interact with postdocs working here and to look at labs. I was very surprised that the type of research conducted in the industry was very similar to that in academia. This visit gave me a better understanding of the transition from academia to industry and also encouraged me to apply for postdoc positions here. Another valuable lesson from this visit was the art of networking. Every person that we spoke to stressed the necessity of networking and grabbing every opportunity that comes your way fearlessly.

This was my first ever visit to a pharmaceutical company and I think this would definitely play a very important role in my decision to work in the industry in the future. I hope that Dr. Hornby and other members of TCP continue to organize this industry visit every year and students should definitely take advantage of this program to understand more about the industry.”

– Sukhada Bhave, Graduate Student, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University

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“The TCP Janssen site visit clarified my career direction. I was excited to learn that researchers have the flexibility to get into a variety of niches beyond bench work including management, regulatory affairs, medical writing, site strategy and business planning. I also met great people at different stages of their careers who shared their experiences and gave valuable advice.

Overall, I had a great experience at Janssen. I think that this is one of best programs ASPET’s TCP division came up with. I believe this kind of exposure helps students and postdocs to make more informed career decisions.”

– Narasimha Midde, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center “The Janssen site visit organized by Translational and Clinical Pharmacology division of ASPET served as a perfect opportunity for me to gain firsthand experience regarding various career options within the industry. The fact that basic research conducted in the industry is very similar to that of academia was an enlightening experience. The full day visit was very well planned by Dr. Pamela Hornby and it provided us time to interact with well-established experts in the industry in various career branches including basic research, regulatory affairs, medical writing and management/business. I would like to thank Dr. Hornby and the TCP executive committee members for providing me with this opportunity. This is a very well thought-out program, which provides early career trainees an inside look into the industry work atmosphere to make informed career decisions. I wholeheartedly encourage trainees to apply to this program and take advantage of this fantastic program.”

– Naeem K. Patil, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Agricultural Research Services site visit “The ARS site visit was a great experience for several reasons. First, it gave me insight about research that happens on the agricultural front. Second, it gave me first-hand experience about the research being conducted at the facility since I had the opportunity to speak with some of the research scientists there and I got a tour of the facility. Third, I gained a better understanding of how research is conducted in a government setting and the various career opportunities available at USDA/ ARS. It was also a good opportunity for me to present my research project to them. I am grateful to have been selected by TCP and Dr. Green was a great host.”

– Farhana Sakloth, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University “As part of the Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology (TCP) site visit, I was fortunate to receive funding to visit the USDA – Agricultural Research Services (ARS) located in Logan, Utah. Dr. Green was an excellent host and tour guide of Utah and the ARS facility. I also met with several other scientists from ARS who explained their background, how they came to be at ARS and what a normal day looks like. I learned about poisonous plants and their effects on livestock, something I knew very little about. I toured the different labs that are used to assess poisonous plants, including the analytical chemistry and histopathology labs and the herbarium as well as livestock facilities for cows, goats, and sheep. I was able to give a brief presentation on my thesis research for everyone at ARS and received great questions and feedback. Dr. Green and others also gave me advice about careers at the ARS. Lastly, I also enjoyed visiting Utah and experiencing the culture for the first time. I found Utah and the ARS facility to be very scenic and beautiful with its many canyons as well as flat roads. This experience helped me greatly to broaden my understanding of career options as a toxicologist.”

– Blessy George, Graduate Student, Rutgers University Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology/PharmD

Interview with Thomas Beveridge As part of our career development program, the TCP division conducts informational interviews with experts in academia, industry and government that are available on the ASPET website. Please refer to https://www.aspet.org/ISTCP/Resources/.

In our recent interview session, Thomas Beveridge, MSc, PhD, talks about his successful transition into a medical affairs position at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Beveridge is the associate

director of clinical sciences in medical affairs, and current interim medical director of urology at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. He also serves as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Please refer to the following web link http://bit.ly/2eselkW to read a detailed discussion about his experience, and the excellent advice he has to offer for trainees aspiring to transition into an industry career.

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Division for Toxicology Chemicals in Your Drinking Water: Exploring Real-Life Toxicology through a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

By Lauren Aleksunes, Brittany Karas, Stephanie Marco, Brian Buckley, and Debra Laskin

Students participating in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Early introduction to research is pivotal to kindling student interest in fields such as toxicology and environmental health sciences. Of the contaminants in our environment, heavy metals have been relevant to human health historically, but have recently resurfaced as a cause for concern in the United States. To increase scientific literacy of toxicology and promote team-based learning, undergraduate students in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program at Rutgers University participated in an educational activity to assess heavy metal contamination of drinking water in New Jersey and surrounding areas. This project was part of a 10-week research program, spanning May through July 2016,

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that included didactic sessions on the developmental neurotoxicity of lead by Dr. George Rhoads and assessment of heavy metal concentrations in the environment by Dr. Brian Buckley. Twenty students were divided into four teams to determine a list of sites for sampling, which included academic buildings, dormitories, and residences. Students were provided materials and instructions on how to collect specimens, including pre- and post-purge procedures, and details on evaluating the condition of the collection site. The Chemical Analysis Facility performed analysis of heavy metal concentrations using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Students were able to tour the facilities and learn more about the technology.

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Teams were provided with their data and asked to compare their results to the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Standards for real-world context and regulatory interpretation with an occupational physician, Dr. Robert Laumbach. For samples that had detectable levels of heavy metals, concentrations ranged as follows: Al (0.5-81.0 ppb), As (0.21-0.81 ppb), Cd (0.1-1.8 ppb), Cr (0.1-1.2 ppb), Pb (0.059.2 ppb), Li (0.6-5.4 ppb), Mn (0.05-85.7 ppb), and Ni (0.20-87.5 ppb). Additional hypotheses about potential contributions, including naturally-occurring and anthropogenic sources, water system sources, and electronic waste were assessed. There were no trends indicating aggregate metal locations, differences in concentrations between initial draws and following a purge, or that electronic waste such

as nickel-cadmium batteries contributed to a positive correlation between metals commonly used in the same products. Of the topics and activities included in the SURF program, a team-based water sampling exercise, which coupled toxicology, exposure, and environmental health science, was rated favorably amongst participants and fostered collaboration and networking. Students enjoyed the program, with one participant quoted as saying, “We had the opportunity to hear and speak to different research processes.

I also liked how we used a current health issue, lead in drinking water, and made a project [around] that.” This project was supported by the ASPET SURF Program, NIEHS T32ES007148, R25ES020721, P30ES005022, and the SOT Internship Program.

Division for Pharmacology Education Apply now for the Academy of Pharmacology Educators ASPET and the Division for Pharmacology Education are excited to announce that applications for membership in the Academy of Pharmacology Educators are now being accepted.

The purpose of the Academy of Pharmacology Educators is to provide a way to recognize senior and mid-career individuals, who have made exemplary contributions to pharmacology education in the following areas: • Student–teacher interaction • Innovative contributions • Scholarly endeavors • Professional development and service Applications are also encouraged from ASPET members who may be more junior in rank, but who have chosen to focus career goals on the education mission.

The deadline to submit applications is January 9, 2017.

To find out more and apply for the Academy, please visit: https://www.aspet.org/Education/Academy/.

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Chapter News 2016 Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society (MAPS) Annual Meeting in Review The Mid-Atlantic Pharmacology Society (MAPS) held its annual meeting on October 27, 2016 at Quorum in the Science Center in Philadelphia, PA. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Pharmacology of Substance Abuse” and showcased exciting MidAtlantic-based research into the discovery of novel mechanisms involved in mediating substance abuse and therapeutic approaches to mitigating issues of dependence and withdrawal. The program consisted of talks addressing molecular alterations in the brain following the development of nicotine dependence (Julie Blendy, PhD, University of Pennsylvania), hypocretin-dependent regulation of dopaminergic

signaling (Rodrigo España, PhD, Drexel University), design of metabolism-resistant D3 receptor ligands for addiction treatment (Tom Keck, PhD, Rowan University) and the impact of bath salt derivatives on behavior (Scott Rawls, PhD, Temple University).

Additionally, the keynote address was given by renowned researcher Michael Nader, PhD (Wake Forest University) whose fascinating work sheds light on the impact of sex, social housing and individual differences on psychostimulant responses.

In addition to research talks, MAPS hosted a biotech roundtable discussion, featuring Vikram Bhattacharjee, PhD (Evol Science), Frank Leu, PhD (Novapeutics) and MAPS member Kyle Palmer, PhD (Opertech Bio). With questions from faculty and trainees alike, the discussion proved insightful with respect to pharmaceutical technology development, small biotech operations and the evolution of scientific careers. Further, the George B. Koelle Award was presented to Carol Beck, PharmD, PhD (Thomas Jefferson University) for her outstanding achievements in pharmacology education not only at Thomas Jefferson University but also within the ASPET community at large.

Continuing its tradition of promoting trainee development, the MAPS meeting also featured two invited oral presentations given by Allison Andrews (Temple University) and Stacia Lewandowski (Drexel University), as well as a poster competition in which

Dr. Carol Beck (right) receives the Koelle Award from MAPS President Dr. Douglas Tilley.

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1st and 2nd place prizes were awarded in each of the following categories: undergraduate (Nihal Narsipur, Rutgers University; Fionya Tran, Temple University), graduate (Lee Anne Canella, Temple University; Nicole Hernandez, University of Pennsylvania) and post-doctoral fellow (Jason Wallach, PhD, University of the Sciences; Laurel Grisanti, PhD, Temple University).

Finally, MAPS is pleased to announce that, making use of the ASPET awards portal, it will continue to offer a Travel Award for an eligible MAPS trainee to attend the ASPET Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology 2017 in Chicago, IL. See you there!

MAPS Vice President Dr. Marlene Jacobson (left) presents Nicole Hernandez with a prize for her graduate student poster presentation.

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