Chemical Engineers Receive $3.5 Million Grant to Investigate Adolescent Exposure and Opioid Addiction

The Virginia Tech Department of Chemical Engineering is receiving a $3.5 million grant over 5 years from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse to research how adolescent exposure may contribute to opioid addiction. 

The research team advocates that chemical engineers can clarify how addiction takes hold through chemistry, biotechnology, process engineering, data analysis, and data modeling. They hope their research eventually develops processes and products that alleviate the societal burden of drug addiction.  

Chang Lu, the Fred W. Bull Professor of Chemical Engineering and graduate chair, serves as the research team’s principal investigator. The team also includes Julie Blendy, professor of pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Wei Wang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego. 

Opioid addiction is a complex issue influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The interaction between genes and the environment is crucial in understanding the neurobiology of addiction, particularly through the study of epigenetics. Lu's team will specifically examine how early exposure to opioids, such as prescription pain relievers given to injured adolescents, can have lasting effects on the developing brain through epigenetic changes. 

Epigenetics, non-DNA sequence alterations in gene expression, affect DNA accessibility and influence an individual's response to their environment. In opioid addiction, genes involved in the body's internal system for regulating pain and reward are important. These genes code for opioid receptors is targeted by both naturally produced and externally introduced opioids. Variations in opioid receptor genes have been extensively studied as genetic risk factors for addiction. Researchers can now use low-input epigenetic profiling techniques to study gene-environment interactions in the brain, providing insights into addiction dynamics and informing diagnostic tools, treatment approaches, and policy decisions. 

“Opioid addiction is a complex and devastating public health crisis,” said Lu. “Low-input epigenetic profiling is a powerful tool in unraveling the intricate gene-environment interactions that underlie addiction vulnerability and progression. By studying epigenetic dynamics within specific brain regions and cell types, we hope to identify biomarkers and shed light on when people – especially adolescents – are vulnerable to addiction, and why. Successfully doing so means opening the door to personalized treatment approaches and prevention strategies in the future.” 

Reference 

Seeber C. Department of Chemical Engineering receives $3.5 million award to study impact of adolescent exposure to opioids. EurekAlert! Published online November 16, 2023. Accessed November 20, 2023. www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1008380