The 8th Kappa Therapeutics Conference will be held at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St Louis, Missouri, USA on March 19th-21st, 2025.
| Wed 19th March | 4-6 pm | Opening Reception |
| Thurs 20th March | 7 am | Continental Breakfast |
| 8 am – 3 pm | Meeting Day 1 (lunch 12-1 pm) | |
| 3 pm – 5 pm | Poster Session | |
| 5 pm – 7 pm | Trainee Mixer & Mentoring Session | |
| Fri 21st March | 7 am | Continental Breakfast |
| 8 am – 5 pm | Meeting Day 2 (lunch 12-1 pm) | |
| 5 pm – 6 pm | Shippenberg Awards and Closing Reception |
The Program Committee will be Chaired by Dr. Ream Al-Hasani <al-hasanir@wustl.edu>. Information on conference registration, abstract submission, and travel awards for trainees will be posted here in late 2024. Please check back for updates. To be put on the mailing list for news and announcements, please e-mail Dr. Charles Chavkin at cchavkin@uw.edu
History
Major advances in our understanding of the role of the dynorphin / kappa-opioid receptor system suggest that kappa agonist and antagonist ligands have therapeutic potential. Dynorphins have been found to regulate affective behaviors, reduce pain and itch, and mediate stress-related behaviors. Kappa antagonists can reduce alcohol and drug use in animal models and prevent relapse. The effects of dynorphin on cognition suggest a role for kappa antagonists in other neuropsychiatric disorders. The Kappa Therapeutics Conferences have been organized every other year since 2011 to bring together Academic and Pharma scientists working on all aspects of kappa opioid research. The conference is designed to advance medications development by bringing together medicinal chemists who are developing novel medications, molecular pharmacologists studying structural features of the receptor and functional selectivity in receptor signaling, behavioral pharmacologists identifying effects of kappa opioids in model organisms, systems neuroscientists identifying the actions of kappa opioids on the neural circuit, brain imaging researchers studying kappa drug effects in humans, and clinical scientists conducting trials to establish drug efficacy in humans. Our goal is to accelerate the development of novel kappa medications based on this research, and the synergy generated by sharing insights and research findings across disciplines and at each of these levels of analysis has been truly impressive.
Toni Shippenberg Young Investigator Award
Dr. Toni Shippenberg was a key contributor to the kappa opioid field during her 25 years of kappa opioid research until her death in 2012. In recognition of her leadership and commitment to mentorship, the conference organizers established the Toni Shippenberg Young Investigator Award given to students or postdocs presenting the best talks or posters during the conference. The recipient(s) are selected by a vote of the Program Committee and announced at the closing ceremony.
Awardees:
| Year | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Ms. Sara Anderson (Mt Sinai) |
| 2015 | Dr. Anushree Karkhanis (Wake Forest University) Lindsey M. Snyder (University of Pittsburgh) |
| 2017 | Dr. Antony Abraham (University of Washington) Dr. Nicolas Massaly (Washington University) Ms. Kathryn Lansu (University of North Carolina) Ms. Salina D. Johnson (University of Washington) |
| 2019 | Dr. Tao Che (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) Mr. Harold (JR) Haun (Medical University of South Carolina) |
| 2021 | Ms. Eileen Nguyen (University of Pittsburgh) Dr. Manish Madasu (Washington University in St Louis) |
| 2023 | Dr. Raaj Gowrishankar (University of Washington) Dr. Valentina Martinez Damonte (Stanford University) Marwa Mikati (Washington University in St. Louis) Chunyang (Jason) Dong (University of California, Davis) |
Kappa Conference Program Books