On the October 25th, 2023, we were delighted to host Professor Huaqiang Xu from Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to give the 86th seminar of the Shenzhen Medical Forum. Invited by Professor Xingzhi Xu, Professor Huaqiang Xu delivered an academic report titled "GPCR Structural Pharmacology and First-Principles-Based Drug Design" at the Lihu Campus of Shenzhen University. 

Professor Huaqiang Xu first introduced a series of selective mechanisms underpinning GPCR ligand binding before discussing the latest spatial structure of the GPCR-GRK2 complex, reported by his research team. Professor Xu then explained how small molecule ligands uniquely bind to the GPCR spatial pocket, illustrating to us the underlying protein spatial structures. Next, Professor Xu noted that to develop novel, high-quality drugs we must ensure that pre-clinical drugs conform to the inherent laws of human physiology. For example, using a protein structure-assisted design, he developed an FXR agonist known as Linafexor, for bile acid metabolism. This drug has proven effective in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and has entered clinical trials.

After his lecture, Professor Huaqiang Xu actively interacted with the audience, answering various pertinent questions and giving his insight on the field. The atmosphere was lively, and the teachers and students benefited greatly from this session.

Brief introduction to the speaker

    Professor Huaqiang Xu is engaged in the research of hormone receptor structure and function, as well as drug development. To date, he has published more than 280 SCI papers, including 37 in CNS journal, and he has accumulated more than 34,000 citations for his work. He has been consistently named as a "highly cited scholar globally" and has obtained more than ten patents. His research achievements were recognized by Science magazine, as illustrated by his work being considered one of the "Top Ten Breakthroughs of 2009". He was also recognized in "China's Top 10 Scientific Advances of 2014” and was acknowledged by academicians from two academies as "China's Top 10 Science and Technology Advances of 2015". Moreover, his research was recognized in the "Major Advances in Chinese Medicine (Pharmaceutical Department) of 2019", and selected as the "Top 10 Achievements in Basic Research" by the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2022. In 2016, he was awarded the Hans Neurath Prize by the International Protein Society and the Outstanding Achievement Award as part of the WuXi AppTec LifeScience Research Award. In 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, he was honored with the Outstanding Mentor Award by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2020, he received the Magnolia Memorial Award from Shanghai. In 2021, he was awarded the 13th Tan JiaZhen Life Science Achievement Award. In 2022, he was honored with the 22nd Wu JiePing-Paul Yang Sen Medical and Pharmaceutical Award (WuYang Award). In 2022, he also won the First Prize of the 9th Overseas Chinese Contribution Award and was again awarded the Magnolia Honorary Award from Shanghai.