Core 4: Pilot Project Core

项目摘要-试点项目 VCU酒精研究中心这个试点项目的核心目标是：1)管理进度和 我们指定的两个初步试点项目的质量控制，2)征集和评估未来的试点赠款提案，以 进一步扩大VCU-ARC的科学广度，3)鼓励试点获奖者提交 独立资助和4)支持为学生和博士后研究员提供培训机会 资助试点项目的实验室。比约克博士和爱德华兹博士是激励和内化方面的专家。 影响人类酒精使用障碍(AUD)风险的因素，并将成为 试点项目1，题为“神经认知在酒精使用障碍和共病的多基因风险中的作用”。 他们提出了一项新的研究，将个人神经认知表现的数据与 严重的AUD并发现导致AUD风险的遗传关系。他们的飞行员将与 项目4和5(Dick和Webb)中提出的纵向遗传研究，并可能为核心3中的分析提供信息 (巴卡努)。此外，如果成功，试点项目1的S工作将为未来的资金提供坚实的初步数据 评估神经认知和遗传因素对AUD风险贡献的应用。第二个有针对性的试点 将由乔尔·施洛斯堡博士主持，他是一位在药物和酒精方面有专长的神经药理学家 使用障碍，题为《对缺乏脂肪的大鼠对酒精的急性和依赖性反应的剖析》 酸酰胺水解酶“。试点项目2将在近交系上使用新建立的FAAH基因敲除率 背景：测试FAAH对乙醇敏感性、摄入量和偏好的影响。这一试点将扩大 了解未来开发用于临床试验的潜在FAAH抑制剂的影响，至少 在不同的阶段和终点有三种不同的此类抑制剂。这些研究也可能是第一个 证明NAPE-PLD是否是提供脂肪酰胺底物的主要合成酶 法阿。我们将在第二年征集其他方案，并在第三至第四年资助其中两个最好的方案，然后征集资金 在第四年再次提出在第五年资助一项。试点计划是VCU-ARC的重要组成部分 这将使我们能够吸引新的和创新的研究人员与中心调查人员互动并扩大 VCU的高质量酒精研究。

Project Summary – Pilot Projects The goals of this Pilot Project Core of the VCU Alcohol Research Center are to: 1) manage the progress and quality control for our two designated initial pilot projects, 2) solicit and evaluate future pilot grant proposals to further expand the scientific breadth of VCU-ARC, 3) encourage pilot grant awardees to submit proposals for independent funding and 4) support training opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows within laboratories of funded pilot projects. Drs. Bjork and Edwards are experts in motivational and internalizing factors that influence risk for human alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and will be the Lead and co-investigator of Pilot Project 1, entitled “The role of neurocognition in polygenic risk for alcohol use disorder and comorbidities”. They have proposed a novel study to integrate data on the neurocognitive performance of individuals with severe AUD and uncover the genetic relationships leading to AUD risk. Their pilot will interface with the longitudinal genetic studies proposed in Projects 4 and 5 (Dick and Webb) and may inform analyses in Core 3 (Bacanu). Furthermore, if successful, Pilot Project 1's work will provide solid preliminary data for future funding applications assessing the neurocognitive and genetic contributions to risk for AUD. The second targeted pilot will be conducted by Dr. Joel Schlosburg, an expert neuropharmacologist with expertise in drug and alcohol use disorders, and is entitled "Dissection of the acute and dependent responses to ethanol in rats lacking fatty acid amide hydrolase”. Pilot Project 2 will use a newly established FAAH knockout rat on an outbred background to test the role of FAAH on ethanol sensitivity, intake and preference. This pilot will expand the knowledge of the impact of potential future FAAH inhibitor development for use in clinical trials, with at least three separate such inhibitors in various phases and endpoints. These studies may also be the first to demonstrate whether NAPE-PLD is the primary synthetic enzyme supplying fatty acid amide substrates to FAAH. We will solicit other proposals in year 2 and fund the two best of them in years 3-4, then solicit proposals again in year 4 to fund one in year 5. The pilot program is an important component of the VCU-ARC that will enable us to attract new and innovative researchers to interact with Center investigators and expand high quality alcohol research at VCU.