Project Grant R01DA060222

Award Date 9/30/24
Completion Date 5/31/29
Dollars Obligated $1.4M
Federal Grant Program
93.279
Assistance Type
Project Grant
Place of Performance
Newark, NJ 07107, USA

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), operating under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279), awarded a $1,419,144 Project Grant to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, to support research aimed at establishing OPRM1 exon 7-associated variants as novel therapeutic targets for mitigating adverse effects of clinically used mu opioids without altering analgesia in pain management. The 5-year project will characterize antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and rabbit monoclonal antibodies (RABMABs) targeting mouse OPRM1 exon 7 variants, and investigate the effects of the selected ASO and RABMAB on mu opioid-induced tolerance, reward, addiction, and respiratory depression in mice under both naive and chronic pain conditions. The project will also develop and characterize a nanobody or ASO targeting human/monkey exon 0 (the homolog of mouse exon 7) sequences and evaluate their effects on mu opioid abuse potential in rhesus monkeys. The goal is to establish OPRM1 exon 7 variants as therapeutic targets and provide the groundwork for developing a medication that combines clinically used mu opioids with an inhibitor to mitigate adverse effects while maintaining analgesia.

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