CENTER FOR DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH

描述(由申请人提供)：五十多年来，弗吉尼亚联邦大学(VCU)的一大批富有成效的调查人员为我们理解药物滥用做出了重大贡献。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。虽然这些调查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中心的创建而得到加强。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个联合许多其他学科的科学家的机制，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、几个个人培训奖项和一个方案项目。另一个主要贡献仍然是培训和发展药物滥用研究方面的青年科学家。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、共享仪器和鼠标淘汰设施的子核心促进互动和合作。此外，小额赠款方案提供了一种机制，以吸引其他领域的知名科学家参与药物滥用研究，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科学家的广泛合作和信息共享，成为国家资源。此外，该中心还保存着一份大麻类类似物的清单，我们将其分发给VCU的科学家以及美国和世界各地由NIDA赞助的研究人员。当然，基础研究将继续是该中心的主要重点。拟议的五个项目涉及内源性大麻素阻断吗啡耐受性、降低长期服用大麻素后的癫痫阈值以及影响慢性尼古丁的奖赏和戒断的机制。与这些努力相辅相成的是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研究。这些项目之间的协调涉及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、新受体亚型的特征以及信号转导机制。我们还在研究内源性大麻素系统与阿片和尼古丁之间的相互作用。烟碱受体亚型在奖赏和依赖发展中的作用也将被讨论。这个中心对人类健康有很大的意义，因为对这个内源性系统的额外了解将提高我们治疗疾病的能力。 中心特征

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