Clinical Neuroscience of Alcoholism: Integrating Neuroscience and Clinical Trials

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This renewal application for the Mid-Career Investigator Award (K24) will provide Dr. Ray with the opportunity to continue her career development, mentorship of clinical investigators, and research in medications development for AUD. The renewal focuses on the next logical step in Dr. Ray’s programmatic research, namely the understanding of the role of inflammation in AUD and its application to treatment development. The proposed research consists of an inflammatory challenge in individuals with and without current AUD to “isolate” the role of inflammation in clinical samples. This will allow the PI to design studies to “rescue” a healthy inflammatory response in AUD. This is a programmatic step for the applicant, given that her clinical trials work with a neuroimmune modulator (ibudilast), raised a number of important questions and opportunities related to inflammation and AUD. The proposed research will conduct an inflammatory challenge in individuals with and without current AUD. The mentoring plan focuses on training of undergraduate students, graduate students in clinical psychology, medical students and residents, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty to conduct patient-oriented alcohol research. Dr. Ray will provide training in areas of clinical research methods, data analysis, data interpretation, manuscript preparation, grantsmanship, research ethics, and professional development. Mentoring occurs through Dr. Ray’s active research laboratory, which includes weekly individual and group meetings with trainees. Dr. Ray is active in providing lectures and seminars through multiple training programs at UCLA. The training plan consists of coursework and training experiences in the topics of preclinical and clinical studies of inflammation in AUD. An outstanding group of collaborators has agreed to support Dr. Ray in her training goals for this K24 renewal. These areas of training and professional development were selected in synergy with ongoing funded-projects in Dr. Ray’s laboratory with the overarching goal of broadening the impact of her research program and that of her mentees. Dr. Ray has maximized the opportunities afforded by the first cycle of the K24 award as evidenced by her excellence in the areas of research, mentoring, and training. The renewal of this K24 will be instrumental in setting Dr. Ray apart as a leader in the field of clinical neuroscience of AUD. Through her mentoring, Dr. Ray is committed to training the new generation of patient-oriented alcohol researchers.