The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (BCAS) training program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is designed to promote the development of promising postdoctoral research fellows as independent investigators and future University faculty members who will investigate the pathogenesis of alcoholism and alcohol abuse using modern molecular, genetic, biochemical and imaging techniques. Training of the postdoctoral fellows will be individualized with the most important component being the research conducted by the trainee in the faculty mentor's laboratory. In addition to hands-on alcohol research, training will include seminars and conferences, activities on responsible conduct of research, professional development, didactic courses, and other training as needed to prepare fellows for independent research. The training faculty will consist of 14 funded investigators from multiple departments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The faculty has a documented history of close interaction and collaboration. The trainees will benefit from the unique strengths of alcohol research at the University of North Carolina BCAS, which include the NIAAA-funded Alcohol Research Center with its research cores, the UNC Neuroscience Center, and the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award). The training program will be led by Co-Directors, Drs. Fulton Crews, Donita Robinson and Thomas Kash, with the assistance of two senior alcohol researchers, Drs. Clyde Hodge and Leslie Morrow, who will constitute the Training Program Advisory Committee. The External Advisory Committee provides another level of oversight. The program proposes seven post-doctoral fellow slots. Trainees will receive two years of research training with the possibility of a third year and with external support sought for later years. This institutional training grant has a strong track record and will promote intensive training in molecular, biochemical and imaging techniques and basic pathophysiology in a stimulating environment, leading to broadly trained independent investigators capable of adapting to the rapid advances in research in the 21st century.

Public Health Relevance

The goal of this Grant is to train new alcohol research scientists. Training scientists in alcohol research methods is essential to understanding the complex nature of binge drinking and alcohol use disorder. Multi-disciplinary training in molecular mechanisms of alcoholic pathology will cover fetal, brain, genetic, behavioral and other pathologies involved in long term drinking.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32AA007573-22
Application #
9688443
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZDA1)
Program Officer
Powell, Elizabeth
Project Start
1997-04-01
Project End
2023-03-31
Budget Start
2019-04-01
Budget End
2020-03-31
Support Year
22
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
Broadwater, Margaret A; Lee, Sung-Ho; Yu, Yang et al. (2018) Adolescent alcohol exposure decreases frontostriatal resting-state functional connectivity in adulthood. Addict Biol 23:810-823
Hwa, Lara S; Neira, Sofia; Pina, Melanie M et al. (2018) Predator odor increases avoidance and glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the prelimbic cortex via corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1 signaling. Neuropsychopharmacology :
Coleman Jr, Leon G; Zou, Jian; Qin, Liya et al. (2018) HMGB1/IL-1? complexes regulate neuroimmune responses in alcoholism. Brain Behav Immun 72:61-77
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Coleman Jr, Leon G; Zou, Jian; Crews, Fulton T (2017) Microglial-derived miRNA let-7 and HMGB1 contribute to ethanol-induced neurotoxicity via TLR7. J Neuroinflammation 14:22
Radke, Anna K; Jury, Nicholas J; Kocharian, Adrina et al. (2017) Chronic EtOH effects on putative measures of compulsive behavior in mice. Addict Biol 22:423-434
Hwa, Lara; Besheer, Joyce; Kash, Thomas (2017) Glutamate plasticity woven through the progression to alcohol use disorder: a multi-circuit perspective. F1000Res 6:298
Madayag, Aric C; Stringfield, Sierra J; Reissner, Kathryn J et al. (2017) Sex and Adolescent Ethanol Exposure Influence Pavlovian Conditioned Approach. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 41:846-856
Madayag, Aric C; Czarnecki, Kyle S; Wangler, Lynde M et al. (2017) Chronic Nicotine Exposure Initiated in Adolescence and Unpaired to Behavioral Context Fails to Enhance Sweetened Ethanol Seeking. Front Behav Neurosci 11:153
Lawrimore, Colleen J; Crews, Fulton T (2017) Ethanol, TLR3, and TLR4 Agonists Have Unique Innate Immune Responses in Neuron-Like SH-SY5Y and Microglia-Like BV2. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 41:939-954

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