Symposium 'New synthetic opioids '

New synthetic opioids (NSOs) continue to contribute to intoxications and fatalities worldwide. The US is suffering from a true opioid overdose crisis, which has been exacerbated by the emergence of NSOs. Also in Europe, NSOs are increasingly identified. One important strategy to address this increasing public health risk lies in the pharmacological characterization of NSOs. The first lecture, by Dr. Meritxell Canals (UoN, UK), will set the stage by covering more general aspects of opioids and µ-opioid receptor (MOR) pharmacology. Next, Dr. Michael Evans-Brown (EMCDDA) will provide an overview of the emergence of NSOs in Europe and beyond. Marthe Vandeputte (UGent) will follow with a lecture on the use of in vitro assays to study NSOs. After a short break, Dr. Michael Baumann (NIDA, US) and Dr. Matteo Marti (UniFe, Italy) will talk about in vivo behavioral and cardiorespiratory assays. Finally, Dr. Bruno De Geest (UGent) will give a lecture about the development of a fentanyl vaccine.