DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH CENTER IN MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY

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In order to synchronize the two exiting program project grants, e propose to establish a Drug Abuse Research Center in Basic Molecular and Cell Biology at University of Minnesota which utilizes the expertise of the core faculty in the Department of Pharmacology and more effective promotes service and interaction with other drug abuse researchers in this community. During the past 8 years, we have proven that two P01 grants have worked successfully and coherently as a single program, with Horace H. Loh as the P.I. Thus, in the current proposal, we have combined various components from these two program projects to establish the proposed Drug Abuse Research Center. The main objectives of the proposed center are: (a) foster interdisciplinary approaches in drug abuse research among the investigators; (b) to serve as an "activity" center to coordinate and to promote all academic and scholarly activities in drug abuse research in the Minneapolis metropolitan area; (c) to serve as a national resource for molecular and cellular studies in the mechanisms of drug abuse either by providing expertise, reagents, clonal cell lines or transgenic/knockout animals to the drug abuse community locally and nationally; and (d) to serve as training center for young scientists here in Minnesota. Within the proposed center, there will be an Administration Core, a Molecular/Cellular and Genetic Core, an Antibodies Production Core and a Bioimaging Core which will support the activities of the scientific components. There are total 8 scientific components with 5 components which deal directly with the different aspects of the drug opiate, while the other three deals with other drugs of abuse, marijuana, nicotine and caffeine. All these 8 components deal with the investigation of the basic molecular and cell biological mechanisms of these drugs of abuse. The different approaches used: transgenic animals, molecular biological mutational analysis of proteins and genes, second messengers regulations, electrophysiological measurements and transcription control studies will provide a fertile ground for training of young scientists, interaction among investigators nd developing resource for the drug abuse research community locally and nationally.