The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded a $537,587 Project Grant under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to conduct research on the metabolic consequences of liver inflammation on alcohol consumption and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). The key objectives are to identify the mechanisms by which the transcription factor IRF3 suppresses the expression and secretion of the metabolic regulator...
Under a $368,673 Project Grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded on September 25, 2023, Artiam Bio Inc., a minority-owned small disadvantaged biotechnology company, is developing and evaluating second-generation partial inverse agonists targeting the type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptor as a potential therapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Artiam Bio is conducting preclinical efficacy studies of its lead CB1 receptor partial inverse agonist compound in rat...
This $223,531 Project Grant awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) will fund a Phase Ia/b proof-of-concept study to evaluate the use of the FDA-approved drug diclofenac as a potential novel treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The study will be conducted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore and aims to determine the optimal dosage of diclofenac that increases levels of the neuroprotective metabolite...
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) awarded a $438,375 Project Grant under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to establish a human liver-on-a-chip model for studying alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). The 2-year project, starting September 2023, aims to investigate the roles of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and acetaldehyde metabolism in regulating ethanol-induced liver damage as well as the contribution of fibrotic...
This federal Project Grant award, valued at $523,477.00 and awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) on September 25, 2024, supports research to study alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and its interaction with the rs738409 variant in the PNPLA3 gene. The key products and services to be delivered under this grant include: Developing a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived in vitro liver culture...
This $366,406 Project Grant was awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to Yale University. The grant will be used to develop two novel human laboratory models to screen potential medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The first model will assess a medication's ability to increase abstinence and reduce heavy drinking, which align with key FDA endpoints for AUD medication approval. The second model will...
This Cooperative Agreement award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) provides $999,393 in funding to Stress Therapeutics, Inc. to initiate Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies for a novel therapeutic candidate aimed at the chronic management of pathological hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The key products and services to be...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) will support the development of a High Throughput Alcohol Screening Platform (HT-ASP) that incorporates cortical organoids. The platform will automate the maturation, maintenance, and assaying of over 100 brain organoids to create a robust, genetically diverse model for screening potential therapeutics for alcohol use disorder (AUD). The $499,987 award,...
This Project Grant award for $545,282 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) federal grant program, aims to investigate neural mechanisms associated with cognitive reappraisal and alcohol cue reactivity in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) during early abstinence. The key objectives are to: 1) determine how neural mechanisms related to reappraisal and alcohol cue-reactivity change across early abstinence...
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has awarded a $152,000 Project Grant under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center (DMU) to study the role of GLUD1 receptors in regulating structural plasticity during chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal. The two-year grant, awarded on September 1, 2023, will support DMU's research aimed at understanding how GLUD1 receptor function and expression influence dendritic spine...
This $673,500 Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism will fund Amygdala Neurosciences, Inc. to develop new, potent, selective, and reversible inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. The goal is to implement an innovative screening technology to discover novel compounds that reduce craving and alcohol consumption by selectively inhibiting ALDH2 in a reversible manner, avoiding the off-target effects of existing irreversible inhibitors like disulfiram. The work will involve an iterative drug optimization process integrating structure-activity relationships to identify candidates with desired ALDH2 inhibition and minimized undesirable properties for safe and effective pharmacotherapy of alcohol use disorder. The project aligns with the goals of the funding program, Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273), to develop improved treatment methods and prevention strategies for alcoholism and related health issues through advancing the underlying scientific knowledge base.