UH Drug Discovery Institute

The University of Houston Drug Discovery Institute, in partnership with the Center for Nuclear Receptor and Cell Signaling, hosted its 2026 Annual Symposium on April 29. The event brought together researchers, industry leaders, and students to explore groundbreaking advancements in the development of life-saving medicines. 

The symposium’s keynote address was delivered by Dr. Patrick Hwu, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Hwu, a world-renowned tumor immunologist, shared insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of cancer treatment and the critical role of institutional collaboration in bringing new immunotherapies to patients. 

Faculty from UH and across the Texas Medical Center presented research on innovative drug targets for a range of chronic conditions, including: 

• Cancer and Autoimmune Disorders: New methodologies for immunotherapy and targeted drug delivery. 
• Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Data-driven approaches to combat age-related and chronic illnesses. 
• Rapid-Fire Presentations: A highlight of the event featured "rapid-fire" talks from selected trainees, showcasing the next generation of scientific talent at UH. 

The afternoon featured two interactive poster sessions, where over 50 researchers presented their findings. The event concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding research contributions from undergraduate and graduate students. 

“This symposium is a testament to the thriving life sciences ecosystem here in Houston,” said Weiyi Peng, director of the DDI. “By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, we are accelerating the transition of laboratory discoveries into transformative clinical treatments.” 

Poster Awards

First place for undergraduate research 

Mason D. Flores: Developing a CRISPR Activation Screen to Identify Novel Mechanisms for Regulating Phagocytosis 

Second place for undergraduate research 

Anuj Kurella: Drug Discovery: Optimizing SYK Kinase Protein Production to Target Inflammation in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease 

First place for graduate research 

Anthony Peidl: AI-based Drug Design to Target Allosteric Domains of the Androgen Receptor 

Second place for graduate research 

Mazia Arif: TRAF4-TMEM9-β-catenin axis promotes lineage plasticity and resistance to AR pathway inhibition in Prostate cancer 

Third place for graduate research 

Tetiana Kolodiazhna: Targeting CDK5 with the novel inhibitor TK22 suppresses endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension 

First place for postdoc/staff research 

Nivedita Dutta: Detection and 3D structure prediction of viral xrRNAs with support from evolutionary information 

Second place for postdoc/staff research 

Rulong Ma: Computational Dissection of Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase 2b C-Terminal Extension Autoinhibition and Its Therapeutic Potential in Darier’s Disease 

People's Choice Award for Rapid-Fire Talks 

Haosheng Feng: Antibody-Targeted Nanoparticles via Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly for Targeted Therapies