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Inhaled anesthetics remain essential to modern surgery, yet the discovery of new agents has been stalled for decades. In this session, Dr. Shane Austin, CEO of Expanesthetics, will explain why pursuing new inhaled anesthetics still matters and why it has proven so difficult. A significant discovery around the molecular mechanism of action of the volatile anesthetics offers an efficient path toward identifying new agents. Recent findings from Expanesthetics' pre-clinical research reveal several compounds with blood-pressure sparing effects, suggesting that smart design could shape the next generation of inhaled anesthesia.

Join us as we explore one of biology's long-standing scientific mysteries: the elusive mechanism of action of inhaled anesthetics. Unique among pharmaceuticals, these agents affect organisms across the entire tree of life, complicating the search for a unifying molecular theory. In this research-intensive presentation, Dr. Robert Brosnan, Professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, will discuss his emerging hypothesis that has the potential to reshape our understanding of how volatile anesthetics interact with ion channels and receptor systems, shedding light on a puzzle that has challenged researchers for more than a century.