Daniel Wacker, PhD
About Me
Dr. Wacker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacological Sciences and in the Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Wacker is a structural pharmacologist who specializes in determination of x-ray and cryoEM structures of membrane protein drug targets such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and solute carrier transporters (SLCs). He further characterizes the actions of both clinical and illicit drugs using in vitro assays and structural methods, and he develops novel tool compounds and drugs for a variety of pathologies. He has determined structures of opioid, serotonin, dopamine and other receptors, and a major focus of his research has been to develop a molecular understanding of psychoactive drugs. In this context he has published several studies related to the actions of psychedelic drugs, including structures of LSD-bound serotonin receptors.
Language
English
Position
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR | Pharmacological Sciences, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR | Neuroscience
Research Topics
Addiction, Alzheimer's Disease, Drug Design and Discovery, Membrane Proteins/Channels, Neuroscience, Neurotransmitters, Opioid/Cannabinoid Receptors, Pain, Receptors, Signal Transduction, Structural Biology, Transporters
Multi-Disciplinary Training Areas
Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics (DMT), Neuroscience [NEU]