Scientific Solutions and Therapeutic Opportunities Highlighted at AAPS/NIDA Symposium


Drug addiction is a major societal problem, disrupting lives and incurring staggering costs to society as a whole. Basic science-level research on drug addiction and abuse has been impressive, but finding effective treatments still remains a daunting challenge.

The AAPS-NIDA Frontiers in Science Symposium - Drug Addiction: From Basic Research to Therapies will focus on the translation of fundamental addiction research to a variety of treatments, bringing together scientists in molecular biology, genetics, and neuroscience with researchers in drug discovery, drug targeting and development, and quantitative therapeutics. Held September 9-11, 2004 at Natcher Auditorium on the National Institutes of Health Campus in Bethesda, Maryland, the meeting will feature Nobel Laureate, Paul Greengard, Ph.D., from the Rockefeller University, and leading neuroscientist, Solomon Snyder, M.D., D.Sc., D.Phil. (Hon. Causa) from Johns Hopkins University.

Other presentations of interest to include:

Why Does the Human Brain Become Addicted?

Addiction is a disorder that involves complex interactions between a wide array of biological and environmental variables. Strategies for its prevention and treatment necessitate an integrated approach incorporating systems of analysis that span the molecular to the social. U.S. News and World Report's 2000 "Innovator of the Year," Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Addiction, will discuss how pairing rapidly evolving technologies such as neuroimaging with sophisticated behavioral measurement paradigms have allowed extraordinary progress in understanding many of the neurochemical and functional changes that occur in the brains of addicts.

Drugs and Genetic Vulnerability

Genetics play a significant role in drug addiction. Drugs of abuse interact directly or indirectly with numerous genes to initiate and maintain the addictive process. The complex nature of this polygenetic syndrome can impede progress in identifying and validating the genes related to addiction. Wolfgang Sadee, Dr.rer.nat, and his research team at Ohio State University have developed a systematic approach to identifying cis-acting polymorphisms, or regulatory regions of genes that can aid in the identification and validation of disease susceptibility genes. At this symposium, Dr. Sadee will provide initial results on a number of candidate genes suspected to play a role in drug addiction.

The Endocannabinoid System: Therapeutic Opportunities

The pharmacological properties of cannabis and some of its key ingredients have been studied over the past several decades, but the biochemical basis of these effects are only now being understood. Research on cannabinoids, compounds extracted from the marijuana plant, eventually led to the recent discovery of the endocannabinoid system, a naturally occurring network in the human body. Proteins involved in the chemical makeup of endocannabinoids are excellent potential targets for the development of new medications for inflammation and neuropathic pain. These new medications could have implications in the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular risk management, motor disorders, and appetite and smoking suppression. Alexandros Makriyannis, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Connecticut, brings over 15 years experience in cannabinoid research and will discuss the therapeutic opportunities of the endocannabinoid system.

Sex Difference in Drug Abuse

Cocaine abuse by women has increased rapidly in the last decade. Approximately 30% of the 1.8 million Americans who use cocaine are women, and sex differences in patterns of cocaine use and addiction are well documented. Women begin using cocaine at an earlier age, after first use they take less time to become addicted, they enter treatment at a younger age and have a more severe habit at the time they seek treatment. Some of the differences in the response to drugs of abuse are due to sex disparities in the adult brain. To develop a good understanding of all of the causes of drug addiction it is important to outline the neurological bases for these differences in drug abuse, as well as the mechanisms mediating the effects of estradiol, a female hormone, on responses to cocaine and other drugs of abuse. Jill B. Becker, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, will present findings from her research in this area.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is dedicated to research on the mechanisms underlying drug abuse and application of basic science for the treatment and prevention of drug abuse. Additional information on the symposia, including a preliminary program, is available at http://www.aapspharmaceutica.com/frontiers.

About AAPS

The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is a professional, scientific society of more than 11,500 members employed in academia, industry, government and other research institutes worldwide. Founded in 1986, AAPS aims to advance science through the open exchange of scientific knowledge, serve as an information resource, and contribute to human health through pharmaceutical research and development. For more information about AAPS, visit AAPS Pharmaceutica at http://www.aapspharmaceutica.com.