Michigan Pharmacology

Michigan Pharmacology Healing through discovery. Its founder and first chair was John Jacob Abel, regarded as the Father of American Pharmacology.

In 1891, forty-one years after the University of Michigan Medical School began, the University established the first Department of Pharmacology in the United States. Over the more than one hundred years since its start, our department has awarded more Ph.D. degrees in pharmacology than any other American university. Our graduates have made a major impact on the field of pharmacology. Among our alu

ms are many pharmaceutical company executives, research directors and senior scientists; directors of government research labs; and recognized chairs and faculty in academia with reputations for both excellent research and teaching.

Congratulations to Michigan Medicine Michigan Pharmacology Isom Lab MSTP student, Vikram Bagchi on receipt of a highly c...
06/11/2026

Congratulations to Michigan Medicine Michigan Pharmacology Isom Lab MSTP student, Vikram Bagchi on receipt of a highly competitive NIH/NINDS F31 predoctoral fellowship!

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Paula Goforth and more) was recently published in Molecular Metabolism. The paper, “Incr...
06/11/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Paula Goforth and more) was recently published in Molecular Metabolism. The paper, “Increased leptin signaling drives the response of hypothalamic LepRb neurons to diet-induced obesity” can be found here:

The failure of hyperleptinemia to decrease adiposity in common forms of obesity has led to the notion that impaired leptin receptor (LepRb) signaling ("leptin resistance") might cause obesity. Because LepRb transcriptional signaling plays a central role in leptin action, we defined the control of ge...

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Arya Subhash and Dr. Carol Parent) was recently published in Current Opinion in Cell Bio...
06/11/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Arya Subhash and Dr. Carol Parent) was recently published in Current Opinion in Cell Biology. The paper, “Encoding chemical cues through compartmentalized signal packaging” can be found here:

Signal packaging is a fundamental mechanism that enables cells to manufacture, target, stabilize, and amplify chemical cues. By organizing chemokines, lipid mediators, and guidance factors into glycan lattices, lipid-protein carriers, membrane nanodomains, extracellular vesicles, and other structure...

Congratulations to the Pharmacology Outreach Committee and a huge thank-you to Dr. George Mashour for a wildly successfu...
06/06/2026

Congratulations to the Pharmacology Outreach Committee and a huge thank-you to Dr. George Mashour for a wildly successful inaugural Pharmacology 4 Everyone event at the Ann Arbor District Library!

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Michelle Hastings and more) was recently published in Brain Research. The paper, “Evalua...
06/03/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Michelle Hastings and more) was recently published in Brain Research. The paper, “Evaluation of open field movement organization and spatial orientation in 5xFAD mice” can be found here:

Wandering behavior or becoming lost in familiar environments is frequently observed during progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and may be a possible prodromal symptom of the disease but also is extremely dangerous for those suffering from this neurodegenerative disease. The accumulation of amylo...

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Kyoung Lee and more) was recently published in Cancers. The paper, “Hypoxia Impairs CD8+...
06/03/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Kyoung Lee and more) was recently published in Cancers. The paper, “Hypoxia Impairs CD8+ T Cell Fitness and Is Associated with a Dysfunctional CD8+ T Cell State in Pancreatic Cancer” can be found here:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense stromal microenvironment and profound hypoxia, which contribute to therapeutic resistance. Using an in vitro system incorporating pancreatic cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), we show that hypoxia suppresses CD8....

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Adam Courtney and more) was recently published in Biomedicines. The paper, “Characteriza...
06/03/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Dr. Adam Courtney and more) was recently published in Biomedicines. The paper, “Characterization of a Cytokine-Independent STAT5 Activator” can be found here:

Background: Cytokine-induced JAK-STAT signaling becomes dysregulated in chronic human diseases, including cancer and autoimmunity, and contributes to immune cell dysfunction. A cytokine-independent approach to activating STAT proteins could "hardwire" pro-survival and effector programs....

A new paper (co-authored by Marie Walicki and more) was recently published in Behavioral Pharmacology. The paper, “Delta...
06/03/2026

A new paper (co-authored by Marie Walicki and more) was recently published in Behavioral Pharmacology. The paper, “Delta opioid receptors on parvalbumin cells are necessary for the convulsant and anxiolytic effects of the delta agonist SNC80” can be found here:

The delta opioid receptor (DOR) is expressed broadly throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. Activation of DOR by exogenous and endogenous ligands regulates pain, motivation, emotion, and memory, but the cells and neural circuits mediating these behavioral effects remain poorly charac...

Check out this interesting article featuring Michigan Pharmacology Professor Jorge Ruas:
05/28/2026

Check out this interesting article featuring Michigan Pharmacology Professor Jorge Ruas:

Health Lab talks to Jorge Ruas, Ph.D., of the U-M Department of Pharmacology, about peptides, how they work and whether supplementing them lends any benefit.

05/27/2026

Congratulations to our ASPET awardees!

Ryan Pauly (Levitt lab): 1st place, Neuropharmacology Division Graduate Student Poster Competition

Ben Clements (Traynor lab): 2nd place, Neuropharmacology Division Postdoctoral Poster Competition

Simon Tangen (Collins lab): 2nd place, Behavioral Pharmacology Division Graduate Student Poster Competition

Dawn Jessup (Traynor lab): 3rd place, Behavioral Pharmacology Division Postdoctoral Poster Competition

Shawn Flynn (Traynor/Levitt lab): 3rd place, Molecular Pharmacology Division Postdoctoral Oral Competition

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