Dr. Frank speaks at CPDA conference

Dr. Frank was invited to speak at the annual Chemistry and Pharmacology of Drug Abuse (CPDA) Conference in Boston

James Frank, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, in August was a speaker at the Chemistry and Pharmacology of Drug Abuse (CPDA) Conference in Boston, which brings together top medicinal chemists and pharmacologists to present their recent findings.

Dr. Frank was invited to give 20-minute talk about his lab’s work developing light-activatable cannabinoid ligands. The endocannabinoid system plays a central role in mood, cognition, motor function, and beyond—but studying it has long been limited by the inability to target specific CB1 receptor pools in live cells and tissues.  

Dr. Frank’s talk, “Chemical Biology Tools to Control Cannabinoid Signaling Pathways with Light,” discussed his lab’s work developing the first photoswitchable, orthogonal, remotely tethered THC ligand (PORTL-THC) that enables reversible, light-controlled activation of CB1 cannabinoid receptors with high spatial and temporal precision.