Program

Brochure

INRC Handbook - BoA

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SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE

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Social Schedule

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July 8, 2025 | July 9, 2025 | July 10, 2025 | July 11, 2025

July 8, 2025

Palazzo Re Enzo | Piazza del Nettuno 1/C - 40125, Bologna

Professional development session

4.30 pm - 6 pm

  • Thematic discussion groups where trainees may interact with a couple of more senior facilitators to ask questions and share experiences in a more direct and informal way

Historical perspective on "INRC and Opioid Research"

6 pm - 7 pm | Prof. Brian Cox, Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, United States

Welcome Reception

7 pm - 9 pm

July 9, 2025

Belmeloro District

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8.15 am - 8.30 am | Room A | Prof. Susan Ingram, INRC President

Plenary

8.30 am - 9.30 am

  • Neuroimmune mechanisms in chronic pain

    Prof. Marzia Malcangio (Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre, King’s College London)
    Room A

Morning parallel sessions

  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 1 - Cortical opioid signaling regulates adaptive and maladaptive behaviors

    Chair: Max E Joffe , Speakers: Hugo Tejeda, Jacob Reeves, Rebecca Cole, Bruno Munoz
    Room A
  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 2 - AI-enabled drug discovery targeting opioid receptors

    Chair: Tao Che , Speakers: Tao Che, Marta Filizola, Ajith Karunarathne, Christian Gruber W
    Room C
  • 11.00 - 11.15

    Coffee break

  • 11.15 - 12.30

    Symposium 3 - From Neural Pathways to Molecular Insights: Advancing Treatments for Opioid Use Disorders

    Chair: Esi Domi , Speakers: Stephen Husbands, Leandro Vendruscolo, Roberto Ciccocioppo
    Room A
  • 11.15 - 12.30

    Symposium 4 - Uncovering GPR-Family G Protein Coupled Receptors as Novel Pain Regulators

    Chair: John Streicher , Speakers: Amanda Fakira, Erin Bobeck, John Streicher
    Room C

Clinical session on the use of opioid analgesics

  • 12.30 - 1.30

    Talks & speakers

    Chairs: Patrizia Romualdi, Daniele Caprioli
    Room A

Lunch break

1.30 - 2.30 pm

Afternoon session

  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 5 - Exploring Roles of Habenula in Opioid Signaling and Behaviors

    Chair: Emmanuel Darcq , Speakers: Paul Kenny, Elyssa Margolis, Tom Hnasko, Dersu Odzemir , Hot Topic Speaker: Chiara Ebner
    Room A
  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 6 - Chemistry and Pharmacology of opioid receptor modulators

    Chairs: Meritxell Canals and Susruta Majumdar , Speakers: Rob Lane, Marthe Vandeputte, Amynah Pradhan, Bronwyn Kivell, Hot Topic Speaker: Mariana Spetea
    Room C
  • 4.00 - 4.30

    Datablitz 1

    Chairs: Lucia Hipolito and Livio Luongo
    Room A
  • 4.30 - 4.45

    Coffee break

Poster session A

4.45 pm - 6.30 pm | First Floor

July 10, 2025

Belmeloro District

Founder's Lecture

8.30 am - 9.30 am

  • My journey through the opioid field: Opioid research as a destiny?

    Prof. Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen (Center for Substance Abuse Research & Department of Neural Sciences Temple University)
    Room A

Morning parallel sessions

  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 7 - Dynorphin-expressing accumbal neurons promote maladaptive behaviors and reduce reward

    Chairs: Ethan Anderson and Nicolas Massaly , Speakers: Catherine Marcinkiewicz, Ethan Anderson, Ream Al-Hasani, Nicolas Massaly
    Room A
  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 8 - N/OFQ receptor signaling at different scales: from molecular pathways to pain and stress-related behavior via brain networks

    Chairs: Lionel Mouledous and Chiara Ruzza , Speakers: Davide Malfacini, Lionel Mouledous, Chiara Ruzza , Hot Topic Speaker: Akanksha Mudgal
    Room C
  • 11.00 - 11.30

    Coffee break

  • 11.30 - 1.00

    Symposium 9 - From Pain to Addiction and Back: Unraveling Psychological and Neural Connections in OUD and AUD

    Chair: Jesùs Lorente , Speakers: Jesùs Lorente, Jessica Cucinello-Ragland, Anushree Karkhanis, Hannah Harder , Hot Topic Speaker: Aya Osman
    Room A
  • 11.30 - 1.00

    Symposium 10 - The Opioid-Nociceptin Framework: Revealing Mechanisms of Neurotrauma

    Chairs: Kelly Standifer and Georgy Bakalkin , Speakers: Kelly Standifer, Brian Cox, Georgy Bakalkin , Hot Topic Speaker: Cathaline Robert
    Room C

Lunch break

1.00 - 2.30 pm

Afternoon session

  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 11 - Circuits, cell types, and neural dynamics underlying opioidergic neuromodulation

    Chairs: Gregory Scherrer and Michael Bruchas , Speakers: Catalina Zamorano, Hector Yarur, Gregory Scherrer , Hot Topic Speaker: Callie M Newson
    Room A
  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 12 - Opioids Beyond Pain- Roles in Mood and Motivation

    Chairs: Kathryn Braden and Anne Z Murphy , Speakers: Anne Z Murphy, Kathryn Braden, Gregory Corder, Marie Eikemoy
    Room C
  • 4.00 - 4.30

    Datablitz 2

    Chairs: Lucia Hipolito and Paola Sacerdote
    Room A
  • 4.30 - 4.45

    Coffee break

Poster session B

4.45 - 6.30 pm | First Floor

July 11, 2025

Belmeloro District

Young Investigator Award Lecture

8.30 am - 9.30 am

  • Exploring the kappa opioid receptor signaling for safer analgesics

    Prof. Tao Che (Center for Clinical Pharmacology Department of Anesthesiology Washington University in St. Louis)
    Room A

Morning parallel sessions

  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 13 - The Endogenous Opioid System and Chronic Pain: Recent Advances and Therapeutic Potential of Opioid Peptides

    Chair: Bruehl Stephen , Speakers: Stephen Bruehl, Lin Tian, Jose Moron Concepcion, Azzurra Stefanucci
    Room A
  • 9.30 - 11.00

    Symposium 14 - Prenatal opioid exposure and its molecular, cellular, and behavioral outcomes

    Chairs: Julia Ferrante and Brady Atwood , Speakers: Julia Ferrante, Devian West, Anne Z Murphy, Teresa Reyes
    Room C
  • 11.00 - 11.30

    Coffee break

  • 11.30 - 1.00

    Symposium 15 - Novel insights into fentanyl’s diverse effects across central and peripheral systems

    Chairs: Kasey Girven and Daniel Castro , Speakers: Krystal Flores-Felix, Megan Fox, Kasey Girven, Daniel Castro
    Room A
  • 11.30 - 1.00

    Symposium 16 - Sex-specific mechanisms underlying opioid reward, motivation, and pain-related outcomes

    Chair: Jessica Higginbotham , Speakers: Emilia Lefebre, Yanaira Alonso-Caraballo, Tiffany Wills, Jessica Higginbotham
    Room C

Lunch break

1.00 - 2.30 pm

Afternoon session

  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 17 - Novel Optical and Pharmacological Strategies to Probe the Opioid System In-vivo

    Chair: Luca Posa , Speakers: Luca Posa, Raaj Gowrishankar, Miriam Stoeber, Joshua Levitz
    Room A
  • 2.30 - 4.00

    Symposium 18 - Exploring the Interplay of Opioids, Cannabinoids, and Neuroimmune Mechanisms in Pain

    Chair: John K Neubert , Speakers: Robert M Caudle, Michael J Iadarola, Jay McLaughlin, Niall P Murphy
    Room C

Hot topic parallel session

  • 4.00 - 4.30

    Hot topic session 1

    Chair: Roberto Ciccocioppo, Laura Rullo , Speakers: Evan S O’Brien, Michele Maritan, Bronwyn Kivell
    Room A
  • 4.00 - 4.30

    Hot topic 2

    Chairs: Girolamo Calò, Monica Baiula , Speakers: Sabrine Billel, Yusuke Hamada, Roozbe Bonsale
    Room C

Business meeting

4.30 - 5.15 | Room A

End of the meeting

5.15 - 5.30 | Room A

Gala dinner

8.00 pm | Banquet | Palazzo de' Toschi - Piazza Minghetti 4/D - 40124, Bologna