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Let’s Talk Mitochondria and the Discovery and Role of a New Steroid – A Scientific Presentation by Dr. Sundeep Dugar

Published April 2025

The annual R. Bryan Miller Symposium at the University of California at Davis features noble laureates, researchers, and scientists presenting the latest research in chemical biology, organic, and pharmaceutical chemistry.

This year, the Symposium celebrated its 25th anniversary and also featured a key presentation from UC Davis alum Dr. Sundeep Dugar, co-founder of the Miller Symposium, co-founder of BlueOakNx, and a pharma drug hunter. Dr. Dugar has deep experience of almost 40 years in small-molecule drug discovery and development in oncology, inflammation,
the central nervous system, and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. More about Dr. Dugar’s presentation later in this article.

Other distinguished speakers included Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna, University of California at Berkeley with a presentation titled, “The Chemistry of CRISPR: What’s Ahead for Genome Editing,” and Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, Caltech, with a presentation titled, “Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life.”

About Professor R. Bryan Miller & the Founding of the Symposium

The Symposium, in honor of R. Bryan Miller, brings together UC Davis departments across the entire campus, Alumni, community members, and scientists from all over the country.
Professor Miller rapidly established a reputation as an imaginative researcher, a sterling teacher, and an extraordinary mentor to students at both the undergraduate and graduate level with Dr. Dugar being one of his mentees.

The Founding Committee said: Professor Miller “… was truly the forerunner of the current thriving research efforts in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the Department. It is in a spirit of recognition of his achievements in research and teaching, and gratitude for his selfless service to the University and to the larger Chemistry community that we dedicate this annual symposium to the memory of Professor R. Bryan Miller.”

Watch this video to learn more about the history of the founding of the symposium and the contributions by Professor R. Bryan Miller to UC Davis, current students, and alumni.

Dr. Sundeep Dugar - Discovery of a New Mitochondrial Human Sterol Hormone

In his presentation, Dr. Dugar starts with an introduction on mitochondria and the role they play in the existence of all living things. He dives into the concept of Salugenesis, as defined by Dr. Robert Naviaux, founder of the Naviaux Lab and the Mitochondrial and Metabolic Disease Center at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, as a systems approach, one that is an “evolutionarily conserved, and highly choreographed sequence of molecular steps that comprise the healing cycle.”

Dr. Dugar discusses why and how healing and recovery begin with mitochondria and the cell. His presentation guides us through the discoveries made by Dr. Dugar and the team as they were researching the impact of pathogenic triggers and anthropogenic factors on mitochondrial function.
The discovery of the new mitochondria human sterol hormone is backed by data from multiple studies.
Watch the video to learn more.

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