My research focusses on the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). The KOR belongs to the wide family of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), that represent important drug targets. I believe that the development of new KOR modulators could lead to safer analgesics for severe pain treatment. Particular I want to achieve a better understanding of the activation mechanism and downstream signaling pathways of the KOR and design new KOR modulators that are G protein biased, i.e. they activate G proteins rather than arrestins. For that approach I use in silico drug design methods with subsequent pharmacological validation.