Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded The Leland Stanford Junior University a project grant in the amount of $158,534 under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) with an award date of May 15, 2026 and completion date of April 30, 2028. This research project, conducted at Stanford's Palo Alto, California facility, investigates opioid-induced dopamine rhythms and their mechanistic role in respiratory suppression—a critical public health issue given that opioid overdose, particularly from fentanyl, represents the leading cause of drug-related deaths in the United States. The research addresses a significant clinical gap: tolerance to opioids' euphoric and analgesic effects develops faster than tolerance to their respiratory effects, increasing fatal overdose risk, while current treatments like naloxone reverse respiratory depression at the cost of eliminating pain relief.

The project delivers fundamental neuroscience research products examining dopamine release patterns originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) following repeated high-dose fentanyl exposure. Through three coordinated research aims, the investigator will employ optogenetic manipulations, patch clamp electrophysiology, and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) methodologies to establish causal relationships between dopamine rhythms and agonal breathing responses, identify molecular underpinnings in VTA dopamine and GABAergic neurons, and delineate cellular targets contributing to opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). These research activities aim to generate foundational knowledge supporting the development of alternative therapeutic interventions that could maintain respiratory function during opioid exposure without blocking analgesic effects.