The University of Michigan was awarded a $500,000 federal grant earlier this summer to support postdoctoral fellows in their efforts to uncover how recreational drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine and THC affect biological processes throughout the brain and body.
The funding, provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will support six fellows from multiple disciplines, including psychology, pharmacology, psychiatry and neuroscience. Trainees will work with faculty mentors to determine how recreational drugs affect brain function and behaviors. This work will provide key information that is needed to address substance use disorders amid the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Nationally, opioid overdoses account for more than 78,000 deaths annually, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Michigan, that number totaled more than 2,200 in 2023.
“Addressing the opioid epidemic with evidence-based solutions is paramount, and being able to support the next generation of researchers in that endeavor is encouraging,” said Dr. John Traynor program director and Edward F Domino Research Professor of Pharmacology.
“This funding will help us bring together trainees that may not otherwise cross paths and provide an opportunity for innovation and collaboration to solve this pressing societal need.”
By integrating the fields of biology, pharmacology, psychology and psychiatry, fellows will work to better understand the basic biology of neurotransmitter systems (chemical messengers that help nerve cells communicate with each other) and how these influence behaviors that drive drug use in humans.
The training program, set to be hosted within U-M’s Department of Pharmacology within the Medical School, will be funded for five years and will be the only postdoctoral training program at the University that focuses on the neurobiology of drug use disorders from a basic sciences perspective.
The program will begin July 1 with the inaugural cohort of fellows who will begin their work in the fall of 2024. Fellows will attend annual scientific conferences while also participating in workshops and seminars to showcase their work and build partnerships across the research community.
“As a research university, we have an obligation to use our knowledge and skills to tackle the most challenging issues facing our world,” said Dr. Carrie Ferrario, program co-director and Associate Professor of Pharmacology.
“We are honored to receive this funding and will use it to bring new voices and ideas to the forefront of this critical area of research.”