Literature Mastery Seminar | Emmanuel Freeman, MS Student

Join us as Master of Science in Applied Life Sciences student Emmanuel Freeman speaks about “Synthesis of Metabolites and Analogs of Emerging Synthetic Opioids.”

The opioid crisis is a growing epidemic, that’s resulting in the deaths of many people. With the availability of prescription and illicit opioids, their abuse continues to grow. For example, heroin is an incredibly addictive drug due to its ability to numb pain and produce profound euphoria. This research aims to synthesize metabolites and analogues of one such abused compound, AH-7921.  We wish to better understand the pharmacology of this series of μ-opioids and potentially discover antagonist or partial agonists that might be useful in the treatment of opioid use disorder. AH-7921 acts on the μ-opioid receptor located in the brainstem and medial thalamus to exert its analgesic effects. Using established methods, we have synthesized a series of analogs that will later be tested for their pharmacological activity. The compounds were characterized by NMR, IR, and Raman spectroscopy to establish their identity and purity.

Thesis Committee:

• Primary Thesis Advisor: Dr. John Krstenansky, Chair and Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute
• Thesis Committee Members: Dr. Alexander Zambon, Associate Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Keck Graduate Institute

Date: Friday, November 8, 2019 at 12:00 p.m.
Location: Building 121, 1110 Classroom

Snacks will be provided. Please feel free to bring your own lunch to eat during the seminar.