Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded The Washington University a $577,531 Project Grant effective March 15, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to conduct multiomics research examining the cellular mechanisms of fentanyl-induced opioid overdose. The project will generate the first single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and single-nucleus Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (snATAC-seq) paired multiomics data from two critical brainstem respiratory control regions—the preBötzinger complex/ventral respiratory group (PreBöt/VRG) and parabrachial/Kölliker-Fuse nuclei (PB/KFN)—in 40 fentanyl overdose decedents and 40 matched controls. This research addresses the biological mechanisms underlying opioid-induced respiratory depression, the primary cause of overdose death, by characterizing the relationship between chromatin accessibility and gene expression patterns in understudied brainstem regions implicated in respiratory control.

The project will produce comprehensive multiomics datasets and analytical outputs that identify cell-type-specific signatures and potentially targetable genes contributing to fentanyl overdose vulnerability. By integrating single-nucleus paired transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses rather than relying on bulk tissue approaches, the research will provide novel mechanistic insights into individual cellular differences in overdose susceptibility. The award period extends through November 30, 2030, with work performed at The Washington University's Office of Sponsored Research Services Division in Missouri.