Researchers at Stanford have discovered new, chemically distinct opioid receptor ligands that may be used to develop safer opioid therapeutics. Opioids are ligands that bind to the mu, delta, and/or kappa opioid receptors.
Stanford researchers at the Sattely Lab have discovered six podophyllotoxin biosynthetic genes and their polypeptide products from the plant, Podophyllum hexandrum (mayapple).