Franziska Heydenreich is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for the September 2022 issue. Currently, she is an Investigator Scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, United Kingdom. The highlighted manuscript is from her pre-doctoral work with Dr. Dmitry B. Veprintsev at Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned her selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author is titled “Michaelis-Menten Quantification of Ligand Signalling Bias Applied to the Promiscuous Vasopressin V2 Receptor” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.122.000497.

Dr. Heydenreich’s current research focuses on the molecular basis of signalling in G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the effect of mutations on function. She aims to determine the role of every single amino acid of these GPCRs in intracellular signalling.  

The anticipated impact of Dr. Heydenreich’s current research is to better understand the fine details of signal transduction across the cell membrane mediated by GPCRs. Understanding how exactly ligand binding is converted into an intracellular signalling event will help researchers modify existing ligands or help design new ones with better characteristics.

Outside the lab, Franziska enjoys reading and dancing. She also enjoys spending time in nature.