We propose to establish a COBRE Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation (CADRE) at Brown University to study mechanisms by which substance use increases risk for, and progression of, chronic disease. The CADRE Research Projects (RPs) will investigate these mechanisms using experimental studies that investigate the subjective, behavioral and physiological effects of opioids, cannabis, tobacco, and alcohol, in a variety of patient populations i.e., people living with HIV infection (PLWH), patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The CADRE's Clinical Laboratory Core (CLC) will provide these and the future CADRE research and pilot project investigators with the scientific expertise, technical capability, space, equipment and supplies necessary to meet the needs of their current and future projects. Provision of these resources via the CLC will optimize efficiency consistency across projects. The physical space requirements of the CADRE projects include laboratory space where biological samples (urine, saliva, blood) can be processed and stored. The available laboratory suite contains a 533 sq ft workroom in which biological samples can be biobanked prior to analysis. However, currently this room is not appropriately ventilated for processing (i.e., centrifuging and aliquoting) blood samples. In order to accomplish the aims of the CADRE projects, we are therefore requesting support to replace the CADRE workroom's current ventilation system with a system that delivers single-pass air that meets the specifications of the NIH Lab Design Guidelines. In addition, we are requesting support for several minor necessary renovations to this space in order to meet NIH Lab Design Guidelines: to install an emergency eyewash, to change the direction of the swing of the workroom door so that it swings in the direction of exit travel, and to paint the walls of the workroom in latex wall finish. Successful completion of these renovations will enable the CLC to process blood samples for the CADRE projects within the laboratory suite workroom, where they will be biobanked for future analysis.
