The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) sponsored a workshop, "Chemical Approaches to Nuclear Receptors and Metabolism," in April 2009 to explore how chemical and molecular biology and physiology can be exploited to further our understanding of nuclear receptor structure, function, and role in disease. Signaling cascades involving nuclear receptors are more complex and interrelated than once thought. Nuclear receptors continue to be attractive targets for drug discovery. The overall goal of this workshop was to identify gaps in our understanding of the complexity of ligand activities and begin to address them by (i) increasing the collaboration of investigators from different disciplines, (ii) developing a better understanding of chemical modulation of nuclear receptor action, and (iii) identifying opportunities and roadblocks in the path of translating basic research to discovery of new therapeutics.