Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai a $2.35M Project Grant on February 15, 2026, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) to conduct data mining and functional validation research on transcriptomic datasets related to HIV and opioid use interactions in the brain. The primary deliverable is a comprehensive analysis of single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomic data collected from the nucleus accumbens of control and ECOHIV (a modified HIV strain)-infected mice, with and without opioid self-administration history, to identify functionally relevant striatal cell types and characterize transcriptional remodeling patterns. The research specifically focuses on medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and their genetic phenotypes and spatial organization in response to HIV infection alone and in combination with opioid exposure, with data collection also including cohorts that received antiretroviral therapy (ART).

The project, which commenced February 15, 2026, and extends through January 31, 2030, responds to RFA-DA-26-001 issued by NIDA and contributes to federal research objectives addressing the reciprocal interactions between HIV and opioid use disorder in brain regions involved in reward, emotion, and cognition. The research outputs will advance understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the elevated prevalence of opioid use disorder in people living with HIV and inform development of therapeutic approaches for this comorbid condition.