Mark Connor

Mark Connor is a Professor and Associate Dean (Higher Degree Research) at the Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University. His research focuses on the pharmacology of psychoactive drugs, including cannabinoids, opioids, and psychedelics, with an emphasis on their interactions with G protein-coupled receptors and ion channels. He investigates the pharmacology and toxicity of synthetic cannabinoids (e.g., Spice/K2), therapeutic potential of phytocannabinoids, and molecular mechanisms of psychedelic and opioid actions.

Education: PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Washington (1992), BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology and Genetics from the University of Sydney (1988).

Research Interests: Synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, cannabinoid receptor pharmacology, opioid receptor variants, psychedelics, and drug development. His work bridges basic science and translational medicine, with projects funded by ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centres and other grants.

Projects: Leads initiatives like the FAAB training centre and studies therapeutic drug actions in nervous system disorders. Collaborates on projects such as advanced protein quantification and cannabinoid derivative therapies.

Labs/Teams: Directs a lab studying drug-receptor interactions, ion channel modulation, and neuropharmacology. Active in proteomic and pharmacokinetic research collaborations.