Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded the University of Miami's Office of Research Administration at the School of Medicine a $164,190 Project Grant on August 19, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279). The research project, titled "Dopamine Dysregulation and Oxidative Stress in HIV and Methamphetamine Induced Cognitive Impairment," addresses the overlapping public health epidemics of substance use disorder and HIV infection. This basic research initiative investigates the mechanisms by which methamphetamine use and HIV infection, individually and in combination, contribute to neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive disorders in a sex-specific manner, with particular focus on dopamine dysregulation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial damage as underlying pathological mechanisms.

The research deliverables include scientific investigation and evaluation of quetiapine—an atypical antipsychotic—as a potential therapeutic intervention in a murine model. The study will assess quetiapine's effects on neurocognitive deficits, depressive symptoms, pro-inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress markers in mice infected with ECOHIV (a murine-tropic HIV variant) and/or exposed to methamphetamine. The project period extends through March 31, 2030, with research activities conducted at the University of Miami's Miami, Florida facility, generating foundational knowledge to inform clinical treatment approaches for individuals with comorbid HIV and methamphetamine use disorders.