diff --git a/bmt/toolkit.py b/bmt/toolkit.py
index fed2f44..b61da7a 100644
--- a/bmt/toolkit.py
+++ b/bmt/toolkit.py
@@ -441,12 +441,26 @@ def get_associations(
             A list of elements
 
         """
-        association_elements = self.get_descendants("association")
         filtered_elements: List[str] = list()
         inverse_predicates: Optional[List[str]] = None
+        subject_categories_formatted = []
+        object_categories_formatted = []
+        predicates_formatted = []
+        association_elements = self.get_descendants("association")
+        if subject_categories:
+            for sc in subject_categories:
+                sc_formatted = format_element(self.get_element(sc))
+                subject_categories_formatted.append(sc_formatted)
+        if object_categories:
+            for oc in object_categories:
+                oc_formatted = format_element(self.get_element(oc))
+                object_categories_formatted.append(oc_formatted)
         if predicates:
+            for pred in predicates:
+                pred_formatted = format_element(self.get_element(pred))
+                predicates_formatted.append(pred_formatted)
             inverse_predicates = list()
-            for pred_curie in predicates:
+            for pred_curie in predicates_formatted:
                 predicate = self.get_element(pred_curie)
                 if predicate:
                     inverse_p = self.get_inverse(predicate.name)
@@ -454,7 +468,9 @@ def get_associations(
                         inverse_predicates.append(inverse_p)
                 inverse_predicates = self._format_all_elements(elements=inverse_predicates, formatted=True)
 
-        if subject_categories or predicates or object_categories:
+
+
+        if subject_categories_formatted or predicates_formatted or object_categories_formatted:
             # This feels like a bit of a brute force approach as an implementation,
             # but we just use the list of all association names to retrieve each
             # association record for filtering against the constraints?
@@ -471,10 +487,10 @@ def get_associations(
 
                 # Try to match associations in the forward direction
                 if not(
-                    self.match_association(association, subject_categories, predicates, object_categories) or
+                    self.match_association(association, subject_categories_formatted, predicates_formatted, object_categories_formatted) or
                     (
                         match_inverses and
-                        self.match_association(association, object_categories, inverse_predicates, subject_categories)
+                        self.match_association(association, object_categories, inverse_predicates, subject_categories_formatted)
                     )
                 ):
                     continue
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_toolkit.py b/tests/unit/test_toolkit.py
index cec72ce..dd976e0 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_toolkit.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_toolkit.py
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ def toolkit():
 CHEMICAL_ENTITY_CURIE = "biolink:ChemicalEntity"
 GENE = "gene"
 GENE_CURIE = "biolink:Gene"
+GENE_OR_GENE_PRODUCT_CURIE: "biolink:GeneOrGeneProduct"
 GENE_OR_GENE_PRODUCT = "gene or gene product"
 GENE_OR_GENE_PRODUCT_CURIE = "biolink:GeneOrGeneProduct"
 GENOMIC_ENTITY = "genomic entity"
@@ -556,6 +557,17 @@ def test_get_associations_without_parameters(toolkit):
                 "biolink:Association",
                 "biolink:ChemicalAffectsGeneAssociation"
             ]
+        ),
+        (   # Q8 - Check if "biolink:Gene -- biolink:affected -> biolink:SmallMolecule" - still no direct match
+            [GENE_OR_GENE_PRODUCT],
+            ["biolink:affected_by"],
+            ["biolink:ChemicalEntity"],
+            False,   # match_inverses
+            [],  # as of Biolink Model release 3.5.4, there is no direct match for this set of SPO parameters
+            [
+                "biolink:Association",
+                "biolink:ChemicalAffectsGeneAssociation"
+            ]
         )
     ]
 )
@@ -581,6 +593,27 @@ def test_get_associations_with_parameters(
     assert not any([entry in associations for entry in does_not_contain])
 
 
+def test_get_associations_gene_to_chemical(toolkit):
+    associations = toolkit.get_associations(
+        subject_categories=["biolink:ChemicalEntity"],
+        predicates=["biolink:affects"],
+        object_categories=["biolink:GeneOrGeneProduct"],
+        # we don't bother testing the 'format' flag simply in confidence
+        # that the associated code is already well tested in other contexts
+        formatted=True
+    )
+    assert associations
+
+    unformatted_associations = toolkit.get_associations(
+        subject_categories=["chemical entity"],
+        predicates=["affects"],
+        object_categories=["gene or gene product"],
+        formatted=True
+    )
+
+    assert unformatted_associations
+
+
 def test_get_all_node_properties(toolkit):
     properties = toolkit.get_all_node_properties()
     assert "provided by" in properties