Our Research

At Thakur Lab,

We stand at the forefront of drug discovery, leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches to address unmet medical needs. We specialize in advanced small molecule medicinal chemistry, ligand-based drug design, and structure-guided drug discovery, enhanced by the power of AI. Our focus includes the innovative allosteric modulation of cannabinoid and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to develop novel therapies for chronic pain, neurodegeneration, substance use disorders, etc.

Latest Research

Negative allosteric modulation of CB1 cannabinoid receptor signaling decreases intravenous morphine self-administration and relapse in mice

Addiction Biology. 2024;29:e13429
Published: August 7, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.13429

Negative allosteric modulation of CB1 cannabinoid receptor signaling suppresses opioid-mediated tolerance and withdrawal without blocking opioid antinociception

Neuropharmacology 257 (2024) 11005
Published: June 25, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110052

Explorations of Agonist Selectivity for the α9* nAChR with Novel Substituted Carbamoyl/Amido/Heteroaryl Dialkylpiperazinium Salts and Their Therapeutic Implications in Pain and Inflammation

J. Med. Chem. 2024
Published: May 15, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02429

Structural mechanisms of α7 nicotinic receptor allosteric modulation and activation

Cell, Vol. 187, Issue 5, 2024, Pages 1160-1176.e21
Published: February 20, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.032

New Alpha9 nAChR Ligands Based on a 5-(Quinuclidin-3-ylmethyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole Scaffold

ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2024, 15, 4, 827–843
Published: February 9, 2024
https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00720

Dose-dependent effects of GAT107, a novel allosteric agonist-positive allosteric modulator (ago-PAM) for the α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor: a BOLD phMRI and connectivity study on awake rats

Front. Neurosci., Sec. Brain Imaging Methods. Volume 17 – 2023.
Published: June 22, 2023
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1196786