Iyer - 2026

Engineering Novel Genetically Encoded Sensors for Studying Mechanisms Involved in Substance Use Disorders.

The primary focus of the lab is to engineer novel chemical and pharmacological tools for studying targets of interest to treat chronic diseases. One focus of the lab is to study the modulation of endocannabinoid system (ECS) through signaling pathways involving cannabinoid GPCRs CB1R/CB2R. The endocannabinoid system is involved in the regulation of many mammalian processes related to food and drug intake, body weight, immune system, and metabolism. We are utilizing novel, small molecule-based approaches as well as sensor-based tools to interrogate signaling mechanisms in the ECS. Our work integrates medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and computational modeling approaches to devise probes that may help alter down-stream mechanisms contributing to pathophysiological processes.

Projects and tasks that the interns would be involved include:

1. Engineering GPCR sensors and validate their suitability for in vitro and in vivo use.
2. Deep learning based de novo design and synthesis of novel ligands to study the sensors.
3. The summer intern will be able to harness the collaborative resources available. The intern will be required to attend group meetings, poster presentations, career development workshops, and wellness events virtually or in-person at NIH.
4. During this project, the student will receive excellent mentorship and gain experience with molecular biology techniques, ligand synthesis, computational approaches and data processing using NMR, LCMS and Data analysis techniques like GraphPad and use of ELNs (electronic lab notebooks). The student will also benefit from being in a collaborative, interdisciplinary laboratory setting studying a wide range of drug-discovery paradigms. Our laboratory is part of the NIAAA, NIH.