Opium, extracted from opium poppies, has been used for thousands of years for a variety of beneficial effects. Beginning in the early 1800s, the most active ingredient, morphine, was isolated, and the structure was identified in the middle of the 19th century. In the ensuing 125 years, thousands of new compounds have been synthesized and tested in animal models and people. These have all failed to produce the “Holy Grail,” a potent analgesic without the potential for abuse. With ever-changing rules pertaining to the treatment of pain, the use of opiates has fluctuated over the years, ultimately resulting in an incredible opioid epidemic in the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, throughout the world. This lecture will provide a brief history of opioid drug development, the origins of the opioid epidemic, the development of pharmacotherapies for opioid abuse, and current methods, including those in the FAU lab, for the potential development of non-addicting analgesics.
Dr. Lawrence Toll earned his Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at UCLA in 1978. He had postdoctoral fellowships in Biological Chemistry at UCLA and in Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University. In 1981, Dr. Toll joined SRI International in Menlo Park, California, where he stayed until 2011, with two sabbaticals to France where he worked as a Visiting Scientist, in Toulouse (1994-1995) and then in Strasbourg (2004-2005). In 2011, Dr. Toll joined Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies as a Full Member and Director of Neuropharmacology and moved to Florida Atlantic University as a Full Professor in 2018. Dr. Tolls research focuses on the management of pain and drug addiction through pharmacology and new drug discovery, including both basic research on opioid and NOP systems to explore the biochemical basis of chronic pain and drug addiction, as well as collaborations with medicinal chemists, to identify novel medications for both disorders. Dr. Tolls work has been chronicled in over 150 publications, and 9 patents issued or pending.
Cost for Non-Members: $35
Register: https://olliboca.fau.edu/wordpress/?page_id=2685&instructorID=1384&courseID=3833&cap=500&preferredSession=Winter%202023%20BCA&courseType=One-Time
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