Medications Development for Cannabis-Use Disorders: Clinical Studies

说明(申请人提供)：大麻是美国最常用的非法药物，其使用与滥用和依赖的发展速度、接受治疗和复发有关，与其他非法药物相当。目前还没有对大麻使用障碍进行有效的药物治疗。我职业生涯的首要目标是开发一个临床研究计划，在这个计划中，我能够使用有效的、基于证据的实验室程序来筛选治疗大麻使用障碍的潜在药物，然后评估有希望的线索对依赖的、寻求治疗的个人的疗效。我的研究生和博士后培训以及K01和R01的支持使我能够建立一个独立的研究计划，其中基于9-THC的神经药理学确定药物开发的合理目标。我的研究已经确定了一些化合物，它们可能代表着大麻使用治疗方面的重大突破。这个K02奖项的目标是通过获得将我的研究推进到筛选过程的下一步所需的额外技能和经验来继续我的职业发展轨迹。为了实现这一目标，我制定了一项职业发展计划，其中包括额外的课程作业、与专家讲师一起进行的培训、相关研究和数据出版/介绍活动、进一步发展赠款以及接受和提供负责任的研究工作培训。将在资助期内进行的研究包括三个步骤的筛选过程：1)确定目标和/或特定化合物，以便随后进行筛选；2)测试在维持候选药物期间给予大麻的安全性和耐受性；3)测试在受控实验室条件下维持大麻治疗的能力，以减弱大麻在受控实验室条件下的强化作用，同时监测自然生态中大麻使用的变化。重要的是，这最后一步代表着一种创新的方法，它将提高早期临床试验研究的效率，指导全面临床疗效试验的候选药物选择，并促进我最终过渡到临床试验研究。这项研究将在肯塔基大学行为科学系进行，这是一个特殊的环境，拥有成功完成拟议的职业发展计划所需的物质和智力资源。此外，这个机构致力于我的科学发展，并承认我的研究项目是其科学社区不可或缺的一部分。我有坚实的培训和研究经验基础，建立了良好的生产力和独立资助记录，并致力于指导对大麻使用障碍治疗感兴趣的下一代学者。K02奖支持的职业发展活动将使我能够持续和扩大这些努力，从而实现我的职业目标，这将直接影响大麻使用治疗领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, and its use is associated with rates of development of abuse and dependence, treatment admission and relapse that are comparable to other illicit drugs. Currently there is no effective pharmacological treatment for cannabis-use disorders. The overarching goal of my career is to develop a clinical research program in which I am able to screen potential medications for cannabis-use disorders using an efficient, evidence-based progression of laboratory procedures followed by an evaluation of the efficacy of promising leads in dependent, treatment-seeking individuals. My graduate and post-doctoral training and K01 and R01 support have enabled me to build an independent research program in which rational targets for medications development are identified based on the neuropharmacology of 9-THC. My research has identified compounds that could represent major breakthroughs in cannabis-use treatment. The goal of this K02 award is to continue my career development trajectory by acquiring the additional skills and experience needed to move my research into the next steps of the screening process. In order to achieve this goal, I have formulated a career development plan that includes additional coursework, training with expert preceptors, relevant research and data publication/presentation activities, further grant development, and the receipt and delivery of training in the responsible conduct of research. The research to be conducted during the funding period consists of a three-step screening process to 1) identify targets and/or specific compounds for subsequent screening; 2) test the safety and tolerability of cannabis administration during maintenance on candidate medications; and 3) test the ability of maintenance on putative pharmacotherapies to attenuate the reinforcing effects of cannabis under controlled laboratory conditions while simultaneously monitoring changes in cannabis use in the natural ecology. Importantly, this last step represents an innovative approach that will enhance the efficiency of early phase clinical trial research, direct the choice of candidate medications for full scale clinical efficacy testing, and facilitate my eventual transition to clinical trials research. This research will be carried out in the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky, which is an exceptional environment, having the necessary physical and intellectual resources for successful completion of the proposed career development plan. Moreover, this institution is committed to my scientific development and has acknowledged that my research program is an integral part of its scientific community. I have a solid foundation of training and research experience, have established a strong record of productivity and independent funding, and have demonstrated a commitment to mentoring the next generation of scholars interested in the treatment of cannabis-use disorders. The career development activities supported by the K02 award will allow me to sustain and expand these efforts, and thus meet my career goals, which will directly impact the field of cannabis-use treatment.