Strategic Plan

Strategic Direction:

Promote basic research that applies state-of-the-art science and technologies to advance our understanding of the mechanisms mediating drug abuse and addiction:

Goal 1:  Validate targets and develop ligands to accelerate pharmacotherapy for drug addiction.

• Isolate target receptors and endogenous ligands
• Validate and/or test targets
• Develop molecular entities, ligands and probes
• Develop and validate behavioral screens to identify or predict treatment response
• Support computational modeling for target validation and ligand development

Goal 2: Determine the molecular and cellular basis of vulnerability to addiction.

• Identify genes and genetic variations
• Identify epigenetic and non-coding regulators of gene expression
• Use systems approaches to understand molecular and cellular interactions
• Identify molecular determinants of HIV latency modified by drugs of abuse

Goal 3: Identify the neural circuits underlying drug addiction and their functional properties.

• Determine the interactions of drug exposure, development, and microenvironment in shaping neural circuits
• Map primary and compensatory connections and functional adaptations in neural circuits that arise from repeated intermittent exposure to and withdrawal from abused drugs
• Identify the drug-related glia-neuronal adaptations that arise from repeated intermittent exposure to and withdrawal from drugs

Goal 4: Identify behavioral processes that underlie drug abuse and addiction.

• Identify how environmental variables and behavioral phenotypes influence risk and protection
• Develop paradigms that model the complexity of human addiction
• Develop interventions to change behavioral trajectories of abuse and addiction
• Examine neurobiological correlates and mechanisms of abuse-related behaviors

Goal 5: Promote cross-cutting NIDA priorities.

• HIV/drug abuse interactions
• Chronic pain
• Sex/gender differences
• Enhance training and career development opportunities

Evaluation:

We assume the responsibility of reporting annually (May/June):

• Number of grants funded that support each of the goals
• List of publications that address each of the goals
• Summary of significant findings and activities that mark progress toward the goals