News
November 20, 2025
SfN 2025: How ‘latent’ sex differences can trip up drug discovery
At the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego this week, Catherine Woolley’s plenary lecture was an unusual combination of debunking and affirming the importance of sex differences in the brain.
San Diego, CA – The Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting, SfN 2025, is currently underway in San Diego, drawing neuroscientists from across the globe. Among the highlights of this year's conference is a thought-provoking plenary lecture delivered by Catherine Woolley, a leading researcher in the field of neuroendocrinology. Her presentation offered a nuanced perspective on sex differences in the brain, challenging existing assumptions while simultaneously reinforcing their significance in drug discovery.
Woolley's lecture took an unconventional approach, aiming to both "debunk" and "affirm" the role of sex in shaping brain function and, consequently, drug responses. She focused on the concept of "latent" sex differences – subtle variations that may not be immediately apparent but can significantly impact how drugs interact with the brain. These latent differences, according to Woolley, often go unnoticed in preclinical research, leading to potential pitfalls in the development of effective and safe medications.
The lecture emphasized that while overt anatomical or physiological differences between male and female brains are well-documented, the more subtle, "latent" distinctions can be just as crucial. These differences might involve variations in receptor density, enzyme activity, or signaling pathways, all of which can influence drug metabolism and efficacy.
Woolley argued that overlooking these latent sex differences during the drug development process can result in therapies that are less effective or even harmful for one sex compared to the other. This underscores the need for more rigorous and sex-inclusive preclinical studies. By failing to account for these subtle variations, researchers risk developing drugs that are optimized for one sex while potentially causing adverse effects in the other.
The implications of Woolley's research extend beyond basic neuroscience, reaching into the realm of clinical practice. Her work highlights the importance of personalized medicine, where treatment strategies are tailored to the individual, taking into account factors like sex, genetics, and lifestyle. As the field of neuroscience continues to unravel the complexities of the brain, understanding and addressing latent sex differences will be critical for developing more effective and equitable therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The SfN 2025 audience received Woolley's lecture with enthusiasm, sparking lively discussions about how to integrate sex as a biological variable into future research and drug development efforts.
Woolley's lecture took an unconventional approach, aiming to both "debunk" and "affirm" the role of sex in shaping brain function and, consequently, drug responses. She focused on the concept of "latent" sex differences – subtle variations that may not be immediately apparent but can significantly impact how drugs interact with the brain. These latent differences, according to Woolley, often go unnoticed in preclinical research, leading to potential pitfalls in the development of effective and safe medications.
The lecture emphasized that while overt anatomical or physiological differences between male and female brains are well-documented, the more subtle, "latent" distinctions can be just as crucial. These differences might involve variations in receptor density, enzyme activity, or signaling pathways, all of which can influence drug metabolism and efficacy.
Woolley argued that overlooking these latent sex differences during the drug development process can result in therapies that are less effective or even harmful for one sex compared to the other. This underscores the need for more rigorous and sex-inclusive preclinical studies. By failing to account for these subtle variations, researchers risk developing drugs that are optimized for one sex while potentially causing adverse effects in the other.
The implications of Woolley's research extend beyond basic neuroscience, reaching into the realm of clinical practice. Her work highlights the importance of personalized medicine, where treatment strategies are tailored to the individual, taking into account factors like sex, genetics, and lifestyle. As the field of neuroscience continues to unravel the complexities of the brain, understanding and addressing latent sex differences will be critical for developing more effective and equitable therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The SfN 2025 audience received Woolley's lecture with enthusiasm, sparking lively discussions about how to integrate sex as a biological variable into future research and drug development efforts.
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