Cheng honored as ASPET Fellow
The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) has named Xiaodong Cheng, PhD, professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, and Mary Mischer Distinguished Professor in Molecular Medicine, as a member of its 2023 Class of Fellows.
“It is a great honor to be selected as a Fellow of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics,” Cheng said. “Active involvement in ASPET activities has been crucial to my gradual transition into a card-carrying pharmacologist, both in terms of research, teaching, and mentoring.”
ASPET is a scientific society whose members conduct basic and clinical pharmacological research and work for academia, government, large pharmaceutical companies, small biotech companies, and non-profit organizations. Members of the ASPET community work in a variety of different fields including neuroscientists, toxicologists, chemical biologists, pharmacists, and cardiovascular scientists.
ASPET Fellowship is granted to the most distinguished members of ASPET and recognizes meritorious efforts to advance pharmacology through scientific achievements, mentorship, and service to the society. Following nomination for the ASPET Fellowship, a Fellows Review Committee evaluates the nominations and recommends a list of candidates to the ASPET Council for final approval. No more than two percent of total eligible members are elected each year.
Cheng’s lab studies intracellular signaling associated with second messenger cAMP. The lab couples biochemistry, biophysics, and cell biology with pharmacology and chemical biology to better understand the structure and function of exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (EPAC). These studies hope to unravel the signaling intricacies of EPAC proteins and design pathway-specific probes for the molecules that may be used for novel pharmaceutical treatments of human diseases.
The Cheng Lab developed first-in-class EPAC selective inhibitors and EPAC knockout preclinical models to study the physiological functions and disease relevance of the signaling molecules. Recently, the lab discovered a potential use of the inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of fatal rickettsioses.
Cheng received his master’s degree from Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science before coming to Texas to obtain his PhD at UTMB Galveston. He completed his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Susan Taylor at UC San Diego before returning to UTMB in 1999 and eventually joining the faculty at McGovern Medical School in 2013.
“ASPETS’s vibrant community has been my scientific home,” Cheng said. “I have been a member of ASPET since 2009, served on the editorial board of Molecular Pharmacology, and held positions on the executive committee of the Drug Discovery Development (DDD) Division, and the chair of DDD. As a FASPET, I am passionate about ASPET’s mission to advance pharmacology research, exchange knowledge, and elevate the impact of this scientific discipline. I strive to enrich the field and contribute to its growth.”