Rate My Professor Michelle Glass

Professor Michelle Glass is a molecular pharmacologist serving as Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Professional Programmes, Health Sciences Division at the University of Otago since 2018. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Auckland, completed in 1994 with a thesis entitled 'Receptor alterations in human neuro-degenerative diseases.' Previously, she was an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland from 2000. Her career has focused on advancing knowledge in G protein-coupled receptor pharmacology, particularly cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, including their signalling profiles, allosteric modulation, biased agonism, trafficking, and interactions with synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists.

Glass's research interests encompass neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease, inflammation, pain, addiction, and novel therapeutic applications, including biosensor development for synthetic cannabinoids and kinetic modelling of signalling pathways. Key publications include 'Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain' (Neuroscience, 1997), 'Concurrent stimulation of cannabinoid CB1 and dopamine D2 receptors augments cAMP accumulation in striatal neurons' (Journal of Neuroscience, 1997), 'Cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous agonists' (Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 1998), and 'The pattern of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease' (Neuroscience, 2000). Recent works feature 'Development of a Cell Membrane Conformational Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Biosensor for the Detection of Synthetic Cannabinoids' (2025) and 'Canonical Cannabinoid Receptors' (2025). With 198 publications cited over 12,000 times, her contributions have significant impact in the field. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2024 and awarded a $941,000 Marsden Fund grant. Glass leads the Receptor Signalling Laboratory at Otago.