Dr. Andrea Martella is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for October 2017, making him the journal’s first recipient of this honor.

Dr. Martella is currently a postdoctoral trainee in the molecular physiology group at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned his selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “A Novel Selective Inverse Agonist of the CB2 Receptor as a Radiolabeled Tool Compound for Kinetic Binding Studies”.

His areas of research are the endocannabinoid system and in vitro pharmacology. Dr. Martella’s current research focuses primarily on the discovery of potential new drug candidates targeting the endocannabinoid system. This research includes classical pharmacological approaches with special emphasis on novel concepts that include drug-target binding kinetic, biased signaling, and innovative chemical biology techniques, such as activity-based proteomics to profile the activity and selectivity of drug candidates in native biological systems.

Dr. Martella expects his current research, with the introduction of new pharmacological tools, to support the cannabinoid research community with effective compounds, eventually developing a well-characterized drug candidate for specific neurological diseases.

Outside the lab, his first interest is music, and he collects records and studies the lyrics and artwork associated with albums.  Food is his second passion, and Dr. Martella is always open to experiencing new cuisines and culinary traditions.