Arghya Polley, PhD

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2026

Dr. Arghya Polley is currently working as a Staff Scientist in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Center for Clinical Pharmacology. As a medicinal chemist, he strongly believes that chemistry is the foundation of the drug discovery process. He earned his PhD in Chemical Sciences in India and further pursued his passion for chemistry through research at G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR).

His current research focuses on the design and development of novel chemical entities that target opioid receptors allosterically, rather than through the traditional orthosteric site. While orthosteric opioids can provide effective pain relief, they may also cause excessive receptor activation, leading to serious side effects such as addiction and fatal respiratory depression. He believes that this newer approach can modulate the activity of orthosteric agonists by enhancing pain-relief pathways and promoting temporal selectivity, thereby reducing side effects and abuse potential. The goal of his work is to develop safer analgesics with fewer adverse effects.

In his free time, Dr. Polley enjoys spending time with his family, exploring beautiful places across the United States, hiking, and, when his schedule allows, playing badminton and chess. He also loves trying new foods and cooking.