5th Transatlantic ECI GPCR Symposium

Unconventional GPCR Signaling in the Hedgehog Pathway and Beyond

Prof. Ben Myers is an associate professor who started his lab at the University of Utah in 2018 in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. His lab studies transmembrane signaling in development and cancer, with research focuses on signal transduction of the hedgehog pathway, the primary cilium, and new roles for lipids and kinases in cellular signal transduction. By combining biochemical and structural approaches with cell biology and in vivo models, his group has uncovered new and unexpected ways for membrane lipids to regulate GPCR activity and for GPCRs to control intracellular kinases.

Exploring the landscape of chemosensory GPCRs in the era of AI

Prof. Antonella Di Pizio obtained her PhD in Drug Sciences from the University of Chieti (Italy) in 2012. Since 2018, she has led the Molecular Modelling group at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
Her research combines artificial intelligence with structural bioinformatics to deepen our understanding of ligand recognition and signaling in G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). While her work includes pharmacologically relevant GPCRs, Prof. Di Pizio is internationally recognized as one of the leading experts in taste and olfactory receptors. The overarching goal of her research is to enable the rational design of novel ingredients for food reformulation and sensory modulation.