Center on Intersystem Regulation by Drugs of Abuse

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are requesting a 5-year competing renewal of our NIDA P30 Center with support for the 6 current Cores (Administrative, Animal, Biochemical Pharmacology, Cell and Immunology, Integrative Pharmacology, and Molecular Biology) and the addition of a seventh, the Database and Drug Interactions Core. Since its inception, the P30 Center has enhanced productivity, synergy, and multidisciplinary research, and enabled the recruitment of new faculty into the field of drugs of abuse. Major integrative themes of our Center include 1) Neuroimmunopharmacology including the study of the effects of drugs of abuse on HIV, 2) Study of drugs of abuse, particularly opioids and cannabinoids, in regulation of inflammation, pain, body temperature, reinforcement, and immune function, and 3) Drug interaction studies which are vital because individuals rarely abuse a single drug. New directions include increased emphasis on cannabinoids and additional studies on the relationship between drugs of abuse and HIV. The scope of the ongoing and future projects in the Center marries in vivo and in vitro approaches that examine effects of drugs at the cellular, biochemical, molecular and whole-organism levels. Integration of information ranging from measurements of behavior to gene activation has stimulated collaborations leading to novel hypotheses and results. The Cores of the P30 Center have fostered multidisciplinary interactions resulting in a true intellectual integration and synergy leading to hypothesis building and implementation of lines of experimentation not previously conceived. The results from the collaborative studies supported by the P30 Cores have been truly innovative. The Center also is a focus for training students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Temple University has made major commitments to the Center that will sustain growth in the area of drug abuse research in the future. The Center is the glue that brings together investigators currently funded by NIH or other Federal or non-Federal sources and enhances and extends the effectiveness of research related to drug abuse and addiction in a cost-efficient manner. Cutting edge research being conducted by members of CSAR is supported and enhanced by utilizing the expertise, methodologies, and techniques provided by the Cores.