CENTER FOR DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的五十年里，在弗吉尼亚州联邦大学（VCU）的大量生产调查人员作出了重大贡献，我们对滥用药物的理解。这些科学家的兴趣包括大多数滥用药物的合成，药代动力学，神经化学，分子，行为和药理学特征。虽然这些研究人员之间一直存在富有成效的合作，但VCU的药物滥用研究工作因NIDA中心的成立而得到加强。该中心的主要目标是促进多方面的基础科学研究。该中心还将继续提供一种机制，将许多其他学科的科学家联合起来，以便分享有关滥用药物的信息和新的研究想法。在这方面，该中心为VCU的所有药物滥用赠款发挥协调作用，包括许多NIDA R01赠款、合同、培训赠款、几个个人培训奖和一个方案项目。另一项重大贡献仍然是在药物滥用研究方面培训和发展青年科学家。核心的作用是提供项目管理和资源，并通过其管理、药物供应、共享仪器和小鼠敲除设施子核心促进互动与合作。此外，小额赠款方案提供了一种机制，吸引其他领域的知名科学家从事药物滥用研究，并允许所有初级和高级科学家针对新的药物滥用问题进行试点调查。该中心通过与国家和国际一级的科学家进行广泛合作和共享信息，成为国家资源。此外，该中心还保存了一份大麻素类似物的清单，我们将其分发给VCU的科学家以及美国和世界各地的NIDA赞助的研究人员。当然，基础研究将继续是中心的主要重点。这五个拟议的项目涉及内源性大麻素产生吗啡耐受性阻断的机制，降低慢性大麻素给药后的癫痫发作阈值，并影响慢性尼古丁的奖励和戒断。这些努力得到了研究的补充，以了解大麻素受体的可塑性和孤儿G蛋白偶联受体的大麻素特性的表征。这些项目之间的协调是针对配体受体相互作用的性质，受体相关蛋白的作用，受体磷酸化状态，新受体亚型的表征和信号转导机制。我们还在研究内源性大麻素系统与阿片类药物和尼古丁之间的相互作用。还将讨论尼古丁受体亚型在奖励和依赖性发展中的作用。该中心对人类健康具有重要意义，因为对该内源性系统的额外了解将提高我们治疗疾病的能力。 中心特点

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For over five decades, a large group of productive investigators at VA Commonwealth University (VCU) has made significant contributions to our understanding of drugs of abuse. The interests of these scientists encompass synthesis, pharmacokinetic, neurochemical, molecular, behavioral and pharmacological characterization of most classes of abused drugs. While productive collaborations have always existed among these investigators, the drug abuse research effort at VCU has been enhanced by the creation of this NIDA Center. The primary objective of the Center is to foster multifaceted basic science research. The Center also will continue to provide a mechanism for uniting scientists from many other disciplines in order to share information and new research ideas regarding abused drugs. In this regard, the Center serves a coordinating role for all drug abuse grants at VCU, including numerous NIDA R01 grants, contracts, a training grant, several individual training awards and a program project. Another major contribution continues to be the training and development of young scientists in drug abuse research. The role of the Core is to provide program management and resources, and to facilitate interaction and cooperation through its administration, drug supply, shared instrumentation, and mouse knock-out facility sub-cores. In addition, a Small Grants Program provides a mechanism to attract established scientists in other fields to drug abuse research and to allow for pilot investigations in response to new drug abuse problems by all junior and senior scientists. The Center serves as a national resource through extensive collaborations and shared information with scientists at the national and international level. In addition, the Center maintains an inventory of cannabinoid analogs that we distribute to scientists at VCU and to NIDA-sponsored researchers throughout the US and the world. Of course, basic research will continue to be the primary focus of the Center. The five proposed projects address the mechanisms through which endocannabinoids produce a blockade of morphine tolerance, decrease seizure threshold following chronic cannabinoid administration, and affect the reward and withdrawal of chronic nicotine. These efforts are complemented by studies to understand the plasticity of cannabinoid receptors and characterization of cannabinoid properties of orphan G-protein coupled receptors. Coordination among the projects is directed toward the nature of ligand receptor interactions, roles of receptor-associated proteins, receptor phosphorylation states, characterization of new receptor subtypes, and signal transduction mechanisms. We are also investigating the interactions between the endocannabinoid system and opioids and nicotine. The roles of the nicotinic receptor subtypes in the development of reward and dependence will also be addressed. This center has much significance on human health since additional knowledge of this endogenous system will improve our ability to treat disease. CENTERS CHARACTERISTICS