This five-year funding proposal for a Program Project Grant on alcohol-related research provides innovative paradigms for medication development for the treatment of alcoholism by bringing together experienced alcohol researchers with expertise in molecular biology, electrophysiology and behavior. The goal is to develop the technologies and collaborations necessary to define new targets for medication development and translate our knowledge of alcohol targets into selective ligands. The PPG consists of an Administrative Core (Adron Harris, PI and Center Director), identification and characterization of specific allosteric modulators of ion channels using phage display (S. John Mihic and Rick Morrisett), molecular and cellular mechanisms of novel therapeutic targets in alcohol reward (Igor Ponomarev and Hitoshi Morikawa), microRNA targets for medication development (Dayne Mayfield) and an animal core (Yuri Blednov and Rueben Gonzales) to provide mice and behavioral testing to the projects. The PPG has both internal and external advisory board members, providing expert guidance from scientists with a wide range of expertise in drug development and therapeutics.

Public Health Relevance

Even though alcohol (ethanol) has been consumed for thousands of years, we know remarkably little about the way it produces its effects on the brain. Our goal is to develop the technologies and collaborations necessary to define new targets for medication development and translate our knowledge of alcohol targets into effective ligands for reduction of alcohol intake.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
5P01AA020683-04
Application #
8843309
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAA1-GG (21))
Program Officer
Egli, Mark
Project Start
2012-05-04
Project End
2017-04-30
Budget Start
2015-05-01
Budget End
2016-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$664,346
Indirect Cost
$234,348
Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
170230239
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78712
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Ferguson, Laura B; Zhang, Lingling; Kircher, Daniel et al. (2018) Dissecting Brain Networks Underlying Alcohol Binge Drinking Using a Systems Genomics Approach. Mol Neurobiol :
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Scott, L L; Brecht, E J; Philpo, A et al. (2017) A novel BK channel-targeted peptide suppresses sound evoked activity in the mouse inferior colliculus. Sci Rep 7:42433
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Harris, R Adron; Bajo, Michal; Bell, Richard L et al. (2017) Genetic and Pharmacologic Manipulation of TLR4 Has Minimal Impact on Ethanol Consumption in Rodents. J Neurosci 37:1139-1155
Cornelison, Garrett L; Daszkowski, Anna W; Pflanz, Natasha C et al. (2017) Interactions between Zinc and Allosteric Modulators of the Glycine Receptor. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 361:1-8
Ponomarev, Igor; Stelly, Claire E; Morikawa, Hitoshi et al. (2017) Mechanistic insights into epigenetic modulation of ethanol consumption. Alcohol 60:95-101

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