Guangrong Zheng

Dr. Guangrong Zheng obtained his B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry from Shanghai Medical University (1995), and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences (2000). He was a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. Peter Crooks at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Zheng's research interests focus on drug design and synthesis, structure-activity relationship analysis and development in the areas of neuroscience. He is also interested in the development of new synthetic methodologies and strategies and their applications to the synthesis of biologically active molecules. Ongoing studies include the design and synthesis of novel vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) ligands as therapeutic agents for treating methamphetamine abuse; and the design and synthesis of novel neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonists as novel smoking cessation agents.

Selected Honors

• Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Presidential Award (2000)
• CAS Shanghai Branch Graduate Student Academic Symposium Excellent Paper Award (2000)
• Procter & Gamble Fellowship for graduate students (2000)
• DI-AO Fellowship for PhD candidates of CAS (1999)
• SIMM Outstanding Graduate Student Award, (1998 & 1999)
• Sina-US Squibbs Fellowship (1994)
• LiZhu Pharmaceuticals Fellowship (1993)
• Shanghai Medical University Undergraduate Student Scholarship (1991 &1992)

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Zheng, G.; Horton, D. B.; Deaciuc, A. G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Crooks, P. A. Des-keto lobeline analogs with increased potency and selectivity at dopamine and serotonin transporters. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2006, 16, 5018-5021.
• Zheng, G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Crooks, P. A. Vesicular monoamine transporter 2: role as a novel target for drug development. AAPS J. "NIDA -AAPS Symposium: Mechanisms of Toxicity, Toxicokinetics and Medical Consequences of Drugs of Abuse" 2006, 8, E682-692. Invited paper.
• Miller, D. K.; Zheng, G.; Sumithran, S. P.; Dhawan, G.; Crooks, P. A.; Dwoskin, L. P. Structure-activity studies on lobeline analogs: meso-transdiene potently inhibits nicotinic receptors mediating nicotine-evoked [3H]dopamine and [3H]norepinephrine release. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 2006, submitted.
• Krishnamurthy, S.; Zheng, G.; Deaciuc, G.; Crooks, P. A.; Dwoskin, L. P. Lobeline analogs with reduced affinity at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors inhibit methamphetamine-evoked dopamine release and [3H]DTBZ binding to vesicular monoamine transporter. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 2006, submitted.
• Zheng, G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Deaciuc, A. G.; Crooks, P. A. Characterization of a series of tropane derivatives as novel vesicular monoamine transporter-2 ligands. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2005, 15, 4463-4466.
• Papke, R. L.; Zheng, G.; Horenstein, N. A.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Crooks, P. A. The characterization of a novel rigid nicotine analog with a7-selective nAChR agonist activity and the modulation of agonist properities by boron inclusion. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2005, 15, 3874-3880.
• Zheng, G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Deaciuc, A. G.; Zhu, J.; Jones, M. D.; Crooks, P. A. Lobelane analogues as novel ligands for the vesicular monoamine transporter-2. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2005, 13, 3899-3909.
• Zheng, G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Deaciuc, A. G.; Crooks, P. A. Defunctionalized lobeline analogues: structure-affinity of novel ligands for the vesicular monoamine transporter. J. Med. Chem. 2005, 48, 5551-5560.
• Zheng, G.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Crooks, P. A. Indirect trapping of the retroconjugate addition reaction intermediate involved in the epimerization of lobeline: application to the synthesis of (-)-sedamine. J. Org. Chem. 2004, 69, 8514-8517.
• Miller, D. K.; Crooks, P. A.; Zheng, G.; Grinevich, V. P.; Norrholm, S.; Dwoskin, L. P. Lobeline analogs with enhanced affinity and selectivity for plasmalemma and vesicular monoamine transporters and diminished affinity at ?4?2* and ?7* nAChRs. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 2004, 310, 1035-1045.
• Zheng, G.; Parkin, S.; Dwoskin, L. P.; Crooks, P. A. Two isomers of 2,4-dibenzyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1] octane-3-ol. Acta Cryst. C. 2004, C60, o9-o11.