On September 18, Professor Zhenhua Shao from West China Hospital of Sichuan University was invited by Professor Dalei Wu from the State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology of Shandong University to attend the innovative course of “Microcosmic Exploration for Scientific Insight—Graduate Student Specialized Coursei". He delivered an academic report entitled “Research on Drug Discovery Based on GPCR Pharmacology”. More than 100 teachers and students attended the lecture, which was presided over by Professor Dalei Wu.

During the lecture, Professor Zhenhua Shao began by introducing G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) as the focal point of his presentation. He provided a detailed explanation of what GPCRs are, their importance as drug targets, the history and breakthroughs in GPCR research, the physiological responses mediated by GPCRs, and common GPCR-targeting drugs. Next, Professor Shao introduced the GPCR downstream signaling detection system developed by his research team. This system enables precise detection of complex GPCR signals, revealing previously unknown mechanisms of drug action. Finally, Professor Shao highlighted the progress in GPCR-based drug discovery. In the field of GPCR-targeting analgesic drugs, his team discovered allosteric analgesic molecules targeting the cannabinoid receptor CB1. These molecules modulate the CB1 signaling pathway to achieve pain relief while avoiding side effects. The discovery of allosteric analgesic molecules targeting the cannabinoid receptor CB2 was achieved through entropy-driven selective molecular design. In the area of GPCR-targeting drugs for psychiatric disorders, Professor Shao emphasized the role of trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) as a novel target for treating mental illnesses.

After the presentation, the students actively asked questions about the thoughts and doubts generated in the report, and Professor Shao patiently answered them. The lecture was successfully carried out and successfully concluded, which brought a lot of inspiration and thinking to the students.

Text: Jiarui Yang

Photo: Na Li