Kerim Cakir, a PhD student in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at Temple University School of Pharmacy, is this the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Highlighted Trainee Author for June 2025. 

The article that earned him the selection is titled “Antagonism of the antinociceptive effects of fentanyl and the veterinary anesthetic xylazine in mice” and is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpet.2025.103397. 

Kerim’s research focuses on the current complication in the fentanyl supply in our community, which is the introduction of alpha-2-agonists such as xylazine. “The importance of the research serves as a basis for future research on opioid and alpha-2-agonist combinations. It serves as a foundation for us and others to add more research into this area of substance use and to further contribute to rationalizing certain drug combinations.”