T32 Translational Addiction Research Fellowship Program

吸毒成瘾和相关的艾滋病毒传播，犯罪和暴力的公共卫生问题，对我们的国家造成了严重的损失，每年在医疗保健，生产力损失和监禁方面花费数十亿美元。在过去的二十年里，神经科学和遗传学取得了迅速的进步，我们需要加快将这些知识转化为更有效的成瘾临床治疗方法。 相反，对于具有某些已知疗效的成瘾治疗，我们现在可以在“反向翻译”中应用新的神经科学和遗传工具-例如，找出为什么一种治疗方法对某些人有效，而对另一些人却完全无效。 为了帮助满足熟练的成瘾研究人员的需求，本申请建议继续我们的T32转化成瘾研究奖学金，用于宾夕法尼亚大学的博士前和博士后学员。 该培训计划将明确宾夕法尼亚大学长期的翻译传统，整合临床和基础研究优势，培养临床或临床前的实习生，博士。他们将能够在未来十年加速成瘾科学的发展。对翻译的重视体现在该计划的每个层面-通过Co-PI（临床和基础，奇尔德里斯博士和皮尔斯），内部和外部顾问委员会成员，正式的教学法，“双重”指导（每个学员都将有一个临床和临床前导师），并在学员的指导研究项目的重点。 平移 该计划的重点是认识到成瘾是复杂的疾病，由遗传脆弱性，暴露于药物和许多调节（例如，早期创伤、压力、文化规范）的影响。因此，学员将通过特定于该计划的教学系列，并通过指导项目，从分子和遗传学研究，到大脑系统（神经科学和神经影像学），到临床治疗试验和药物政策，获得有关这些相互作用决定因素的最新知识。这种广泛的选择是由大学在成瘾研究方面的悠久历史所实现的，反映在几个学术研究中心（宾夕法尼亚州成瘾研究中心~转化研究实验室/CNB~艾滋病研究中心~跨学科烟草使用研究中心~治疗研究所）和实验室（Lucki实验室，Mackler实验室）提供熟练，成功的导师 加入了团契指导研究也发生在几个附属的治疗环境（VA，Presby-Penn，NIDA CTN站点，社区美沙酮诊所和移动的HIV预防单位），对于将新的研究成果转化为“真实的世界”至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Addictions and the associated public health problems of HIV transmission, crime and violence, exact a severe toll on our nation, costing billions annually in health care, lost productivity, and incarceration. As there have been rapid advances in neuroscience and genetics in the past two decades, we need to speed the 'forward' translation of this knowledge into more effective clinical treatments for the addictions. Conversely, for addiction treatments with some known efficacy, we can now apply new neuroscience and genetic tools in 'backward-translation' -- e.g., finding why a treatment works well for some individuals, yet not at all for others. To help meet the need for skilled translatioal researchers, this application proposes a continuation of our T32 Translational Addiction Research Fellowship for pre- and post-doctoral trainees at the University of Pennsylvania. The training program will make explicit a long-standing translational tradition at Penn, integrating clinical and basic research strengths to create trainees, whether clinical or preclinical, Ph.D.'s or M.D.s, who will be able to accelerate addiction science in the next decade. The emphasis on translation is reflected at each level of the program - through the Co-PIs (clinical and basic, Drs. Childress and Pierce), the internal and external advisory board members, the formal didactics, the "dual" mentoring (each trainee will have both a clinical and preclinical mentor), and in the focus of trainees' mentored research projects. The translational emphasis of the program is driven by the recognition that addictions are complex disorders, multi-determined by interaction of genetic vulnerabilities, exposure to drug, and a host of modulating (e.g., early trauma, stress, cultural norms) influences. Trainees will thus be offered state-of-the-art knowledge about these interacting determinants through a didactic series specific to the program, and through mentored projects that may range from molecular and genetic studies, to brain systems (neuroscience and neuroimaging), to clinical treatment trials, and drug policy. This wide range of choices is enabled by the long history of excellence in addiction research at the University, reflected in the several academic research Centers (Penn-VA Addiction Research Center~ Translational Research Laboratories/CNB~ Center for Aids Research~ Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center~ Treatment Research Institute) and laboratories (Lucki lab, Mackler lab) offering skilled, successful mentors to the Fellowship. Mentored research also takes place within several affiliated treatment settings (VA, Presby-Penn, NIDA CTN sites, community methadone clinics, and mobile HIV Prevention units), critical for translating new research findings into the 'real world'.