Lawrence Toll

Lawrence Toll, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, and an Investigator at the FAU Brain Institute. He previously served as Director of Neuropharmacology at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies (2011-2018) and held postdoctoral positions at UCLA and Johns Hopkins University, working under Nobel laureate Dr. Solomon Snyder.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry, UCLA (1978)
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, UCLA (1978-1979)
  • Secondary Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins (1979-1981)

Dr. Toll’s research focuses on pharmacological interventions for pain and addiction, particularly through opioid and NOP receptor systems and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. His work has identified novel drug targets and endogenous neuropeptides, including co-discovery of nociception, the endogenous ligand for the NOP receptor. His most recent publications explore GPR37L1 variants, biased opioid ligands, and spinal NOP receptor dynamics in chronic pain.

Key trends across his 15 most recent articles (2011-2024) include: receptor-specific drug design (opioid, nicotinic, adrenergic), chronic pain neurobiology, addiction pharmacology, and translational studies using animal and knock-in models. Collaborations with medicinal chemists underpin his focus on novel analgesics and anti-addiction medications.

Scientific Recognition:

• Co-discoverer of nociception (NOP receptor endogenous ligand)
• Over 130 peer-reviewed publications and 9 patents
• Continually funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for 30+ years
• Editorial contributions to Front Psychiatry and Drug Discovery Today

Dr. Toll’s grants include studies on:

• Mixed NOP/MU compounds for analgesia (R01DA023281, 2018-2022)
• NPQ/SPEXIN as GALR3 ligands (R01DA040882, 2016-2019)
• Alpha4Beta2 nicotinic antagonists for alcohol abuse (R41AA025298, 2016-2018)
• Kappa partial agonists for cocaine abuse (R41DA044894, 2018-2019)
• Sigma receptor ligands for non-opioid pain management (DOD Grant, 2017-2019)

His work spans affiliations with institutions in the U.S. (FAU, Torrey Pines Institute), France (Laboratoire de Pharmacologie et de Toxicologie Fondamentales, University of Louis Pasteur), and international collaborations in receptor pharmacology and neuropeptide research.