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Agenda

Monday March 25th

7:45-8:30

Registration

8:30 a.m. Convening of Workshop; Logistics and Overview

Lee E. Eiden, NIMH

8:30 a.m.

Introductory Remarks by Josh Gordon, Director, NIMH

Keynote by Susan G. Amara, Scientific Director, NIMH on CGRP and migraine: one translational pathway for peptide-based and peptide-inspired neurotherapeutics

9:30-11:00 a.m.

Session 1. What is unique about neuropeptide modulation that recommends it as a target for behavioral intervention?

Chair: Hugo Tejeda, Unit on Neuromodulation and Synaptic Integrations, NIMH-IRP

Speakers:

Eve Marder, Brandeis University, The electrophysiology of peptidergic modulation of neuronal function: fitting firing to behavior

Benjamin H. White, Section on Neural Function, NIMH-IRP, The broad reach of peptide neuromodulators in the control of behavior

Patrick Sexton, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, New aspects of biased agonist regulation of neuropeptide-liganded GPCRs

11:00-12:00
Poster Viewing with Coffee Break
12:00-1:30
Lunch and Discussion with Session 1-4 Speakers
1:30-3:30
Session 2. Peptides as drugs: re-thinking the drug pipeline?

Chair: Samer Hattar, Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms, NIMH-IRP

Speakers:

James Collins, Ferring Peptide Research Institute, San Diego, CA, The current state of peptide drug discovery: Back to the future?

Anish A. Konkar, Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland, Peptides as drugs and their receptors as targets for the treatment of metabolic disorders

Marc Ferrer, Biomolelcular Screening and Probe Development, NCATS, Assay development and high-throughput screening for non-peptide agonists at peptide-liganded GPCRs: prospects for future tool and therapeutics discovery

Esther Sabban, New York Medical College,Neuropeptide Y and PTSD: Animal models for treatment efficacy and modality

3:30-5:30
Session 3. Peptide paradigms: emergence of ghrelin, GLP-1 and vasopressin receptors for CNS-based therapeutics.

Chair: Mario Penzo, Unit on the Neurobiology of Affective Memory, NIMH-IRP

Speakers:

Ki Ann Goosens, Icahn Sch. Med, Mt. Sinai, Ghrelin as a potential treatment for anxiety-induced depression

Harvey Grill, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Anti-obesity actions of GLP-1 at CNS GLP-1 receptors: treatment of obesity as a food reward disorder

Lorenzo Leggio, Joint NIAAA/NIDA Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, The ghrelin system as a potential therapeutic target for addiction: A translational approach

Limei Zhang, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, UNAM; Neurosteroids, neuropeptides, and modulation of aversive behaviors

Tuesday March 26th

9:00-11:30
Session 4. Defining proof-of-concept for CNS peptide-centric neuropharmacology and therapeutics

Chair: W. Scott Young, Section on Neural Gene Expression, NIMH-IRP

Speakers:

William Z. Potter, Office of the Director, NIMH, Pre-competitive consortia for identifying peptide GPCRs as CNS drug targets

Michael J. Brownstein, Azevan Pharmaceuticals, Bethlehem, PA, Critical path to behaviorally active peptide receptor agonists

Mary R. Lee, CPN, NIAAA/NIDA, CNS penetration of oxytocin and implications for therapeutic interventions

Kenneth A. Jacobson, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, NIDDK, Breakthroughs in GPCR structural biology and their impact on computer-aided drug design

Janet Clark, Office of Fellowship Training and NIMH Translational Neuropharmacology Initiative, NIMH-IRP, Establishing goals and milestones for translational neuroscience in the NIMH Intramural Research Program

11:30-12:00

Poster viewing and discussion

12:00-1:00

Lunch

1:00-2:30
Panel Discussion: The virtual drug pipeline created by basic, translational and clinical regulatory peptide research

Chair: Mi Hillefors, Translational Therapeutics Program, NIMH
Consensus-oriented discussion of avenues and barriers to peptide-centric neurotranslation

2:30

Workshop adjourned