GoingToMeet

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are high impact therapeutic targets, constituting 50% of drug targets and generating annual drug sales above $50 billion (Lundstrom K, 2006). Historically, most drug discovery campaigns have sought to identify compounds that specifically activate the receptor (agonists), or block activation by an endogenous compound (antagonist), both via a G-protein-dependent signaling pathway.

In this full-day symposium, we will focus on finding novel strategies offering new opportunities for drug discovery. We will begin with a discussion of the opportunities for allosteric regulation of receptor activity and the potential for ligand mediated modulation of 7-TM receptor interacting proteins. We will then switch to a discussion of modulation by receptor heterodimerization. We will conclude with a discussion of receptor chaperones.

The BPDG at the New York Academy of Sciences represents a diverse group of scientists and others with an interest in biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical research, and related areas. Members are from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and university and medical center research facilities across the Eastern United States. The group also serves as the Biochemical Topical Group for the American Chemical Society's New York Section. The purpose of the BPDG is to bring together diverse institutions and communities, industrial and academic, to share new and relevant information at the frontiers of research and development.