4th International Conference on Photopharmacology

Join us for the latest in design, synthesis and application of drugs and molecular probes controlled by light!

Started in Groningen in 2017, then hosted in Barcelona in 2018, we are proud to host the 3rd installment of Photopharmacology. The scientific program for Photopharmacology III includes invited and contributed lectures, as well as a vibrant poster session.

Dirk Trauner & Drew Woolley

Meeting Themes

Photopharmacology can be defined as an attempt to control biological function with synthetic photoswitches that confer light-sensitivity to their cellular targets. The field has been emerging rapidly over the last few decades; however, much work is still needed to unlock the translational potential of exciting proof-of-concept discoveries. With this goal in mind Photopharmacology III aims to bring together leading researchers in order to debate, present, and, more importantly, foster cooperation between their own areas of expertise. One topic of discussion at the conference will be the future role of photopharmacology in human medicine and its relation to more established fields of photomedicine, such as photodynamic therapy. The restoration of vision is another area where photopharmacology can impact medicine. Another topic of interest is the relationship between photopharmacology and optogenetics, which have a shared history, are in some respects indistinguishable, and face similar challenges in terms of light delivery and cellular targeting. Emerging techniques that meet these challenges will be discussed at the conference. New photoswitches will be introduced and strategies debated how to optimize their photophysical and thermal properties and make their synthesis more reliable, efficient, and scalable. The application of such switches to new biological targets in a variety cells, tissues, and organisms will demonstrate the usefulness of photopharmacology for the perturbation, control, and restoration of biological function with light.

International Organizing Committee:

Professor Ben. L. Feringa (Nobel Prize Laureate), University of Groningen

Professor Dirk Truner, University of Pennsylvania

Professor Andrew Woolley, University of Toronto

Professor Amadeu Llebaria, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia

Professor Pau Gorostiza, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

Professor Wiktor Szymanski, University of Groningen

Professor Weiping Wang (Host), The University of Hong Kong

Local Organizing Committee:

Professor Ian C.K. Wong, Head, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong

Professor Aimin Xu, Director, The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, The University of Hong Kong

Professor Alice S.T. Wong, Associate Vice-President (Research); Interim Director, Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre; Interim Director, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong

Professor Ying Chau, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Professor Wai-Lung Ng, School of Pharmacy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Professor Hongyan Sun, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong

Professor Xin Zhao, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Professor Weiping Wang (Chairman), Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, The University of Hong Kong