Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology

Congratulations to Dr. Tom Kukar and Team for receiving new NIH R01 grant:​

​"Determining the therapeutic potential and mechanism ofGranulins to treat Batten disease and Frontotemporal Dementia"​

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Hongjie Yuan, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, received a grant, “Genetic Rescue of Synaptic and Behavioral Deficitsin a GRIN2B Truncating Variant Mouse Model,” for 2026 from the GRIN2B Foundation to fund research to promote scientific understanding of the rare genetic condition known as GRIN2B-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder. ​

This project tests a novel genetic rescue strategy using a specialized rescuetRNA delivered to the brain via a viral vector to bypass these faulty stopsignals and restore normal GRIN2B protein production. By preserving thegene’s natural timing and location of expression, this approach offers apotential path toward gene-based therapies for GRIN2B truncatingvariants and other rare genetic disorders caused by similar mutations.​

Congratulations to the Traynelis/Yuan lab team on their recent publication in the Brain titled, "Inhibition of GluN2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors by radiprodil.”

This study identified key structural determinants of radiprodil binding to GluN1–GluN2B receptors using X-ray crystallography. Radiprodil inhibited over 80% of disease-associated GRIN variants and, in preclinical models, reduced abnormal activity and delayed seizures, highlighting its potential as a targeted therapy for genetically driven neurological disorders.​

Figure: Structure of the GluN1‑1b–GluN2B NTD in complex with radiprodil determined by X‑ray crystallography (left). The Fo–Fc omit map for radiprodil is shown contoured at 4.5σ, together with the modeled ligand (yellow sticks). Right: Cerebral glucose metabolism, assessed by dynamic FDG‑PET imaging, is significantly reduced in knock‑in mice carrying the gain‑of‑function GRIN2B-p.S810R variant, which was originally identified in a patient with early‑onset epileptic encephalopathy.

Several faculty from Pharmacology and Chemical Biology were featured in the winter 2026 Emory Winship magazine cover story, "From Bench to Bedside." The article explains how researchers at the Winship Cancer Institute are working to move cancer treatments from laboratory discoveries to real patient care, emphasizing the importance of collaboration across disciplines and continued support for early-stage research to maintain a strong pipeline of new treatments. The goal is to translate scientific discoveries into more effective therapies and improved outcomes for cancer patients.

Xiulei Mo, PhD, and Andrey Ivanov, PhD, were promoted to Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology (effective September 1, 2026).

Xiulei: recognized for his vital research into tumor suppressor genes, such as SMAD4. By leveraging systems and chemical biology, he is translating cancer genomics into promising new therapeutic targets.

Andrey: recognized for his innovative integration of computational/AI and experimental approaches to uncover molecular mechanisms of disease and for demonstrated contributions to team science.

Congratulations to Callie Wigington, PhD, Program Director of the Center for New Medicines and BDCI, who was honored with ​the 2025 Emory SOM Excellence in Innovation Award!

Congratulations to the Ivanov lab group on their recent publication in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry titled, "Non-Catalytic Inhibitors of the p38/MK2 Interface: Repurposing Approved Drugs to Target Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease.”

This study reports the discovery of first-in-class small-molecule disruptors of the p38/MK2 protein–protein interaction, highlighting a novel therapeutic strategy for targeting neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.

First author is Maylynn Hu and other authors include Andrew Li, Payton Fleming, Julia Gralla, Kristos Negrón Terón, Ying Zhou, Eric J. Miller, Tyler S. Beyett, Zhexing Wen, Yuhong Du, Haian Fu, and Andrey Ivanov.

Lian Li, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, has been elected to American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).​

​Selection as a Fellow of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (FASPET) is an honor bestowed to our most distinguished members. Fellows are recognized for their meritorious efforts to advance pharmacology through their scientific achievements, mentorship, and service to the Society. ​​

In December 2025, Nick Varvel, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, co-chaired the Investigator Workshop at the American Epilepsy Society Conference along with Dr. Amy Brewster of Southern Methodist University. The workshop was titled, Inflammation and Epilepsy: Unveiling Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets. 

Two faculty in Pharmacology and Chemical Biology were inducted into the Emory MilliPub Club for 2025: Dr. Thomas Kukar, Associate Professor, and Wenming Li, PhD, Instructor. The Emory MilliPub Club honors current Emory faculty who have published one or more individual papersthroughout their careers that have each garnered more than 1,000 citations.

Lian Li, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, received 2 awards during Emory School of Medicine Faculty Recognitions Week:

The 2025 Emory School of Medicine 1% Award for her grant, "Novel biomarkers and mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease". The Emory 1% Awards honors and recognizes faculty who have received study section scores in the top 1 percentile on a grant proposal. 

The 2025 Emory School of Medicine Mentoring Award. This honor is bestowed upon School of Medicine faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding mentoring and leadership to trainees or early-career faculty. Dr. Li was honored during the Celebration of Faculty Eminence Ceremony in October 2025.

Congratulations to Lih-Shen Chin, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, for the 2025 SOM Hidden Gem Award.​ 

Emory SOM awards

Yuhong Du, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, was named a fellow in the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS). The SLAS Fellow Member Program launched in 2016 to recognize the exceptional contributions of SLAS’s most valued contributors. SLAS Fellow Members represent the epitome of SLAS as a mission-driven organization that focuses on serving life sciences professionals via practitioner-driven knowledge, education and peer-to-peer connections.

Two Pharmacology and Chemical Biology were recognized during the 2025 Emory School of Medicine Researcher Appreciation Day: Yuhong Du, PhD, Associate Professor, and Jae Won Chang, PhD, Assistant Professor. Emory researchers are nominated by their peers and colleagues for their groundbreaking research, development of new technologies, and continued pursuit of novel and innovative ideas.​

​2025 Research Appreciation Day

Congratulations to Pharmacology and Chemical Biology awardees of the Center for New Medicines (CNM) Therapeutic Advancement Awards. ​Emory’s CNM announced the first cohort of therapeutic projects​. The Pharmacology and Chemical Biology recipients are:

Andrey Ivanov, PhD, Assistant Professor
Xiulei Mo, PhD, Assistant Professor
Stephen Traynelis, PhD, Professor
Yong Wan, PhD, Professor

​Emory News Center

Haian Fu, PhD, Professor and Chair of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, has been selected by his peers as the new President-elect of the Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs (AMSPC). This is a great honor that is well deserved.​

​Dr. Fu will begin his service as AMSPC President next summer, June 2026.​

Emory Pharmacology and Chemical Biology ranked number 9 ​for NIH Funding by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) 2024. Each year, the BRIMR publishes a ranking of U.S. academic institutions and health care systems based on the research funding they received from NIH the prior year. Congratulations ​to our faculty, staff, and trainees! 

Emory Report News Story