Alexander Vizurraga is the Molecular Pharmacology Highlighted Trainee Author for the June 2023 issue. Dr. Vizurraga recently received his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory Tall. His thesis research was centered around the pharmacology and mechanisms of adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (AGPCRs), an emerging area of the GPCR field. Specifically, his work focused on high throughput screening for novel small molecule agonists and antagonists for the model receptor ADGRG1.

The Molecular Pharmacology article that earned his selection as a Highlighted Trainee Author was from his work as a pre-doctoral trainee under the mentorship of Dr. Gregory Tall is titled “Hexahydroquinoline Derivatives are Selective Agonists for the Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptor ADGRG1/GPR56” and is available at https://doi.org/10.1124/molpharm.123.000688.

The anticipated impact of Dr. Vizurraga’s work is on the expansion of AGPCR pharmacological tools. AGPCRs possess a unique activation mechanism centered around autoproteolysis (self-cleavage) that has long mystified the GPCR field and significantly impeded research. Despite being medically relevant, there are no approved drugs that target AGPCRs, and structures of these receptors are only now beginning to emerge.  This is, in part, due to a lack of available tools to study AGPCRs in vitro and in vivo. Dr. Vizurraga anticipates that high throughput screening for small molecule modulators of AGPCRs will reveal novel tool compounds that will dramatically improve their pharmacological toolbox. Further, these compounds can potentially become therapeutic leads for first-in-class drugs targeting AGPCRs.

Currently, Dr. Vizurraga is employed at Deep Apple Therapeutics as an in vitro scientist, where he has expanded his high throughput screening expertise into a variety of other medically relevant orphan GPCRs. His training in large-scale cell culturing, structure-activity relationships (SAR), assay development, and G protein purification will help him with his new work in GPCR structural biology and the validation of novel therapeutic leads that have been identified via computational screens.

In Alex’s spare time, he enjoys kayaking and listening to and (attempting) to make music. He also enjoys playing games with his friends.