NIDA Program Project Grant:
"Molecular Components Underlying Drug Abuse." P01 DA 15916-03This is a NIDA-Program Project Grant providing five years of support for four projects (Chavkin, Mackie, Palmiter and McKnight), four Cores (Administrative, Mouse Genetics, Behavioral, Anatomical) and a pilot project program.
Abstract
This NIDA program project fosters research interactions, promotes exchange of ideas and technology, and enhances the training environment in ways that strongly advance drug abuse research at the University of Washington and generate resources that will be made widely available. The Program brings together a group of established investigators to focus on developing mouse models to resolve the molecular components underlying drug abuse. Four projects within the Center address related questions: molecular mechanisms underlying opiate tolerance (Chavkin), molecular mechanisms underlying cannabinoid tolerance (Mackie), the specific role of protein kinase A in drug preference and sensitivity to amphetamine, cocaine, and ethanol (McKnight), and the role of dopamine in appetitive behaviors (Palmiter). These projects focus on the molecular basis of animal behavior controlled by drugs of abuse. The Program also supports core facilities required for efficient resource utilization and technique transfer within the projects: 1) a Mouse Genetics Core (Burton) facilitates the generation of new strains having tissue-specific, inducible mutations in key components of the animals response to opioid, cocaine and cannabinoid drugs; 2) the Behavioral Facility (Bernstein) standardizes the analysis of gene mutation and drug effects; and 3) the Anatomy Core (Westenbroek) standardizes the analysis of structural changes in brain resulting from the pharmacologic and genetic manipulations proposed. A Pilot Project component facilitates the development of research programs in this area. An additional aim of the Program is to expand the educational and training activities of an existing NIDA Institutional training grant on the molecular pharmacology of abused drugs. The prime motivation for establishing this Program is to enhance the intellectual, educational, and developmental interactions that would stimulate and expand drug abuse research. Synergy within the proposed Program would be derived from the transfer of ideas, techniques, expertise, perspective and mice between members of the group.
| Charles Chavkin, Ph.D. | P.I. & Center Director, Administrative Core Director, Co-Director, Behavioral Core Project I Director "Components Underlying Opioid Receptor Tolerance" |
| Ken Mackie, M.D. | Project II Director "Cannabinoid Desensitization Mechanisms" |
| Stanley McKnight, Ph.D. | Project III Director "Role of PKA Signaling in Drug Abuse" and Co-Director, Mouse Genetics Core |
| Richard Palmiter, Ph.D. | Project IV Director: "Role of Norepinephrine in Behavioral and Physiological Responses to Drugs of Abuse" |
| Ilene Bernstein, Ph.D. | Behavioral Core Director |
| Kimberly Burton, Ph.D. | Mouse Genetics Core Director |
| Ruth Westenbroek, Ph.D. | Anatomy Core Director |
Scientific Advisors: (alphabetical order)
- Ivan Diamond, MD, Ph.D. Gallo Center, Dept Neurol, University of California San Francisco, Emeryville CA
- Patricia Janak, Ph.D. Gallo Center, Dept Neurol, University of California San Francisco, Emeryville CA
- George Koob, Ph.D. Dept Neuropharmacol, The Scripps Research Inst, La Jolla CA
- Jeffrey S. Mogil, Ph.D. Dept Psychology, McGill Univ, Montreal QC
- Eric Nestler, MD, Ph.D. Dept Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX
- Frank Porreca, Ph.D. Dept Pharmacology, Univ of Arizona, Tucson AZ
- Jeanne M. Wehner, Ph.D. Inst Behav Genetics, Univ Colorado, Boulder CO
- John T. Williams, Ph.D. Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Science Univ, Portland OR