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Multidisciplinary Characterization of the Gut-Brain Axis in Addiction

Award Number: DP2AT013279
ORGANIZATION: CENTER FOR DRUG EVALUATION AND RESEARCH, NIH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/17/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

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Multidisciplinary Characterization of the Gut-Brain Axis in Addiction - Project Summary Addiction and substance use disorders (SUDs) affect more than 27 million people in the United States, with an estimated $740 billion annual cost due to crime, lost work productivity, and health care expenses. Unfortunately, these numbers continue to increase and even more, since the pandemic, unleashing an alarming health and social burden. Despite worldwide efforts, no successful treatments have been developed to better deal with this chronic and relapsing disease. In the past years, the gut microbiota and its composition has been associated with different adult behaviors and diverse neuropsychological diseases, including SUDs. However, the mechanism by which the gut microbiota influences these pathologies remains elusive, with most of the available data originating from associations between human patients or animal models and their fecal microbiome profiles. There is an urgent need to push the field toward more mechanistic studies to find actual communication pathways and molecular mediators behind these gut-brain connections. Therefore, the goal of this project is to identify and characterize relevant interactions between different members of the gut microbiota, psychostimulant exposure, and vulnerability to develop SUDs. To this end, we will apply a conceptually and technically innovative approach that really bridges the fields of neuroscience and microbiology. We will use metagenomics and metabolomics to identify psychostimulant-induced alteration in microbial composition and gut milieu. We will then apply pharmacological and microbiological techniques to modulate gut physiology and bacterial genetics to validate identified host signals and characterize bacteria-sensing pathways that are impacted by the drug. To understand how the microbiome influences the progression to disease, we will combine gut microbial manipulations with well-established animal models to determine the impact of these manipulations on addiction. We will leverage the availability of genetically tractable hosts (mice) and human gut bacterial strains to build up in vitro and in vivo models that will allow us to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in this interkingdom communication. This project is only possible because we have developed the protocols and the technical resources to accurately manipulate and investigate bacterial physiology while also following neurobehavioral alterations associated with psychiatric diseases. We have the experience and the equipment to run a battery of behavioral tests under microbiologically controlled conditions. Our approach provides an exciting opportunity for acquiring new knowledge regarding addiction, gut microbiome physiology, and their interaction, that can make a vertical leap in the field. |Contact PD/PI: Cuesta, Santiago


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2024	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY	3 RUTGERS PLZ	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Trans-NIH Research Support	000	1	12/15/2025	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $1,391,376 )
2024	2024	RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY	3 RUTGERS PLZ	NEW BRUNSWICK	NJ	08901	MIDDLESEX	USA	Trans-NIH Research Support	000	1	9/17/2024	NEW	$1,391,376
														Subtotal = $1,391,376

Grand Total All Awards = $1,391,376

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Multidisciplinary Characterization of the Gut-Brain Axis in Addiction

Award Number: DP2AT013279

ORGANIZATION: CENTER FOR DRUG EVALUATION AND RESEARCH, NIH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/17/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2027

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