Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of California, Santa Barbara received a $645,966 Project Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) awarded June 15, 2026, with completion scheduled for March 31, 2031. This award supports preclinical medications development research to identify pharmacological interventions for psychostimulant use disorder (PUD), addressing the current lack of FDA-approved treatments. The research investigates kinase inhibitor compounds—specifically targeting PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase)/AKT (protein kinase B)/mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling pathways—as potential anti-craving therapeutics. The project builds upon published findings demonstrating that the FDA-approved mTOR inhibitor everolimus and the PI3K/AKT1 inhibitor buparlisib reduce incubated cocaine craving in animal models without significant off-target behavioral effects.

The primary deliverables include advancing preclinical drug development efforts and testing the hypothesis that kinase hyperactivity within the prelimbic subregion of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex impairs extinction learning, thereby contributing to drug-cue reactivity in psychostimulant-exposed subjects. Research activities encompass determining the anti-incubation potential of oral kinase inhibitors and their relationship to mGlu1/5 (metabotropic glutamate receptor 1/5) mechanisms, with the ultimate goal of supporting the transition toward clinical medication development for psychostimulant use disorder treatment.