Opioid use disorder — NIH Funding Overview

Why this matters now

Despite some recent declines, overdose deaths remain near historic highs, and synthetic opioids (fentanyl analogs, nitazenes) keep evolving the threat landscape. HEAL appropriations have continued through annual budgets, supporting non-opioid pain therapeutics, MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder) implementation, and overdose response.

How NIH funds this area

HEAL awards span U01, U19, U24, R01, and U54 cooperative agreements. NIDA-led awards focus on substance use disorder; NINDS-led awards focus on pain mechanisms and non-opioid analgesics. Data below covers all NIH awards mentioning opioid in title, abstract, or terms.

Yearly NIH Awards for Opioid use disorder

Counts and total funding per fiscal year from NIH RePORTER. Recent fiscal years may understate final totals because of reporting lag.

Open the full interactive trends view for Opioid use disorder →

Top NIH Institutes (last 90 days)

Which NIH institutes funded the most Opioid projects in the most recent 90-day window.

Common Activity Codes (last 90 days)

Which grant mechanisms (R01, R21, U01, P30, etc.) appeared most often for Opioid in the recent period.

Most Active Institutions (last 90 days)

Universities and research organizations with the most Opioid awards in the most recent 90-day window.

1. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY — 12 awards
2. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON — 10 awards
3. YALE UNIVERSITY — 9 awards
4. MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA — 9 awards
5. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY — 9 awards
6. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH — 8 awards
7. OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY — 8 awards
8. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE — 8 awards

Recently Awarded Opioid use disorder Grants

Twelve most recent awards mentioning Opioid, drawn from NIH RePORTER. Click through to Find PIs for the full investigator search.

• Peer recovery support for people experiencing homelessness with opioid use disorder

  3K23DA058200-03S1
  Danielle Fine · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL, MA · $75,600 · awarded Apr 24, 2026 · K23

  PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are disproportionately affected by the opioid overdose crisis, with overdose rates up to 30-times higher than the general population. Medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) substantially reduce mortality, but retention in treatment remains low. Identifying strategies to improve OUD treatment retention in this population is crucial to enhancing recovery opportunities and reducing mortality. Peer recovery support has shown promise in improving OUD treatment outcomes in the general population, but research studying its effects has been limited by a lack of attention to vulnerable populations (e.g., PEH), heterogeneity in the services provided, and lack of methodologic rigor in study design. This award addresses all of these gaps and will advance the science of peer recovery support for the treatment of OUD among PEH. Using a community-engaged framework and a mixed methods design, the investigators will (1) develop a peer recovery support intervention to promote OUD treatment retention tailored to PEH by incorporating qualitative findings from patient focus groups and national Health Care for the Homeless program key stakeholder interviews into a consensus building Delphi process, and (2) pilot test the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of the peer recovery support intervention to promote OUD treatment retention among PEH. The proposed research complements the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA’s) 2022-2026 strategic plan by addressing two priority areas: advancing the science of recovery support and conducting research in real-world clinical settings. This proposal also supports several cross-cutting priorities at NIDA: promoting collaboration with community stakeholders, incorporating patient perspectives into intervention development, and reducing health disparities. The principal investigator’s (PI’s) long-term career goal is to become an independent physician- investigator with expertise in designing and testing interventions to improve the health and health care of marginalized individuals with substance use disorders. Though the PI has a strong research foundation in epidemiologic and health services research methods, she will need additional training in (1) community- engaged research with populations disadvantaged by social determinants of health, (2) mixed methods research, and (3) design and conduct of interventional clinical trials in real-world settings to successfully carry out this proposal and achieve her long-term goals. To accomplish these training objectives and her proposed research plan, the PI assembled an exceptional team of mentors, developed a comprehensive training plan, and will leverage the research expertise and infrastructure at Massachusetts General Hospital, the educational expertise of Harvard Medical School, and the clinical infrastructure and homelessness expertise of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. The successful completion of the proposed research will position the PI to submit an NIH R01 application to conduct a full-scale trial of a peer recovery support intervention to promote OUD treatment retention among PEH and facilitate her goal of becoming an independent investigator.

• The effects of eating a high fat diet on the therapeutic and abuse-related effects of morphine

  5R16GM149426-04
  Katherine Serafine · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS EL PASO, TX · $151,360 · awarded Apr 24, 2026 · R16

  Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. Opioid use disorder (OUD) and obesity are major comorbid public health concerns that are increasing in national prevalence. OUD contributes to approximately 68% of all drug overdose deaths in the U.S., and obesity is a leading source of all-cause mortality. Patients diagnosed with obesity are also frequently diagnosed with chronic pain conditions and are more likely to be prescribed opioids. Further, obesity is highly prevalent among individuals with OUD, and is associated with higher risk for opioid overdose. This suggests that individuals with obesity have an increased risk both of being prescribed opioid analgesics and developing OUD; however, the physiological mechanisms that underlie these risks are not well understood. Obesity is linked to the consumption of high fat diets; however, it is not known if the risks related to OUD among patients diagnosed with obesity are due to this dietary history. This NIH SuRE R16 proposal investigates the impact of diet on the therapeutic, rewarding, and adverse effects of morphine, using behavioral and physiological assays in rats. Further, given recent evidence suggesting that high fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diets might have beneficial effects for obesity, the proposed aims will also explore the effects of a ketogenic diet in addition to a low fat diet control condition. To explore the impact of diet on sensitivity of rats to morphine, animal models of the therapeutic effects of morphine (i.e., antinociception indexed via warm water tail withdrawal and von Frey paw withdrawal assays) and reward (i.e., conditioned place preference and behavioral sensitization) will be examined in Aim 1. Additionally, the adverse effects of morphine including constipation (decreased gastrointestinal transit) and dependence (as measured by the presence or absence of withdrawal symptoms following chronic morphine administration) will also be explored in Aim 2 to mimic the experiences of patients taking opioids chronically for pain management or recreational use. Finally, in Aim 3 this proposal will also evaluate changes in molecular markers within specific brain regions associated with reward processing, feeding, and nociception, to identify targets for future mechanism-driven assessments. These projects will provide a clear picture of the ways that dietary history might impact the therapeutic effectiveness of opioids, as well as their abuse liability, providing a translationally relevant assessment focused on two converging and increasing public health concerns: obesity and OUD. These aims will also involve the training of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Texas at El Paso, under the direction of the PI, who has a strong track history of mentoring students. Students will be involved in all stages of the proposed aims including experimental design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, and will become first- or co-authors on publications and presentations.

• MDMA Mechanisms of Prohedonic Efficacy: A Reverse Translational Approach

  4RF1MH136052-02
  Brian Kangas · MCLEAN HOSPITAL, MA · $2,876,123 · awarded Apr 24, 2026 · RF1

  Project Summary/Abstract MDMA is a prototypical entactogen, a drug class defined by its prosocial and prohedonic effects in humans and laboratory animals. Although commonly known for its illicit use as the club drug Ecstasy, recent studies have documented its significant promise in the management of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid depression in treatment-resistant patients. These compelling findings led the FDA to grant MDMA the status of a breakthrough therapy in 2017 and, consequently, it currently is in Phase 3 clinical trials. It is important to note, however, that MDMA is also associated with several undesirable effects, including neurotoxicity and abuse liability. MDMA has a complex pharmacology which might lend itself to a neuropharmacological dissection of its beneficial and unwanted effects via rigorous examination of its stereoselective constituents and active metabolites. The major goal of this project will be to employ our recently developed platform that combines reverse-translated touchscreen assays of reward learning and concurrent electrophysiological recording in rats to identify the neurochemical drivers of MDMA’s prohedonic therapeutic efficacy. Indeed, anhedonia, the loss of pleasure derived from previously rewarding activities, is a behavioral phenotype implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions, including PTSD and depression. Despite this transdiagnostic prevalence, and notwithstanding MDMA’s clinical trial successes, there are currently no approved mediations to abate anhedonic phenotypes. To advance our understanding and inform future medications development, the proposed studies will be conducted by associating electrophysiological biomarkers and task metrics following treatment with MDMA which, we hypothesize, will enhance reward learning and EEG delta wave alterations. Next, we will evaluate key neurochemical drivers of MDMA’s prohedonic outcomes via study of its enantiomers, primary metabolite constituents, and comparators that vary in relative dopaminergic or serotonergic activity. Racemic, S(+)-, R(-)-MDMA and -MDA, and compounds that vary in relative potency for dopamine/serotonin release will be studied to identify ratios of such activity and prohedonic efficacy. Then, we will Identify circuit engagement in which the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) system and endogenous KOR ligand, dynorphin, regulates the behavioral and electrophysiological processes of enhanced (prohedonic) reward learning, given previous work highlighting its role in modulating symptoms of depression. Finally, in vivo microdialysis studies will be used to quantify dopaminergic and serotonergic efflux following MDMA and key drug comparators, both alone and following KOR circuit engagement to inform neurochemical mechanism. Ultimately, we expect the identification of the neurobiological and neurochemical drivers of MDMA’s therapeutic efficacy will inform subsequent development of candidate medications that improve upon its therapeutic profile for psychiatric conditions in which anhedonia is prevalent.

• Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience of Addiction

  5R25DA033680-14
  ANTONIETA LAVIN · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, SC · $127,086 · awarded Apr 24, 2026 · R25

  PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This renewal application seeks support for our well-established research education program in substance use disorders to support undergraduate students pursuing short-term summer research experiences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The goal is to develop the next generation of independent researchers who can progressively enhance existing therapies and develop novel approaches to substance use disorders. The specific aims are to: 1) Foster interest in these talented and highly motivated students to pursue careers in biomedical research in the areas of addiction research by providing a forum where accomplished investigators can be mentors sharing their enthusiasm and expertise; 2) Leverage existing research training programs at MUSC to complement and expand the overall experience of the students; 3) Provide a forum where students not only acquire the basics of how to address research problems, but also learn cutting edge research techniques, research ethics, and presentation of research data; 4) Contribute to enhancing the students' overall science literacy by nurturing an appreciation of the nature of science and acquisition of socioscientific skills and values.; and 5) Implement a comprehensive evaluation plan that measures the degree to which the program is achieving its objectives. Each year, fourteen undergraduate students will have the opportunity to conduct biomedical research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors based primarily in the Department of Neuroscience. The ten-week summer research projects conducted by the students will culminate in a formal scientific presentation. Additional activities include a lecture series on focused topics; a research ethics component; formal and informal discussions on the meaning of scientific literacy, professional development and career opportunities; and social functions. The participating faculty constitutes a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary team of laboratory-based researchers. Training opportunities are thematically organized around three areas of research: neurobiological basis of cocaine relapse; neurobiology of methamphetamine and opioid dependence; and stress and substance use disorders. The program builds upon and leverages (1) MUSC's strong and continued commitment to research training; (2) its excellent reputation in providing meaningful research experiences for talented undergraduate students; (3) An established record of successfully recruiting trainees from undergraduate institutions both with and without strong research programs in substance use disorders., and (4) its effective program management. This R25 program will teach and promote the integration of clinical and basic science knowledge, with an emphasis on acquiring research skills in the basic neurobiology of substance use.

• Neural Control of Breathing

  5R35HL171451-03
  JACK FELDMAN · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, CA · $1,066,578 · awarded Apr 24, 2026 · R35

  PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT Breathing is a remarkable behavior fundamental to life that mediates gas exchange to support metabolism and regulate pH. A reliable, non-stop, robust rhythmic pattern of respiratory muscle activity is essential for breathing in mammals. Failure to maintain a normal breathing pattern in humans suffering from sleep apnea, apnea of prematurity, congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, hyperventilation syndrome, Rett syndrome, and perhaps Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, leads to serious adverse health consequences, even death. Various neuro- degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, multiple systems atrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are associated with sleep disordered breathing that appear to result from the loss of neurons in brain areas controlling breathing. If breathing is to be understood in normal and in pathological conditions, the mechanisms for breathing central pattern generation must be revealed. We focus on two brainstem sites essential for generation of the normal breathing pattern, the preBötzinger Complex and the retrotrapezoid nucleus/parafacial respiratory group. We propose a broad series of experiments both in vivo and in vitro in rodents using state-of-the-art techniques to significantly advance our under- standing of respiratory rhythm and pattern generation to provide an extraordinary window into the mechanisms underlying the neural control of breathing. Such advancements will be foundational for development of highly novel therapies for treating human diseases of breathing.

• Engineering Yeast towards High Titer Production of Monoterpene Indole Alkaloid Natural Products

  5R01AT010001-09
  Yi Tang · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES, CA · $363,766 · awarded Apr 22, 2026 · R01

  ABSTRACT Reconstruction of plant natural product pathways in genetically well-characterized microbial organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a sustainable and scalable method of producing high value pharmaceutical compounds. The family of monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIAs) represent a diverse collection of natural product with significant biological activities. MIAs are indispensable pharmaceutical ingredients, but are also expensive and difficult to isolate from plant producers. In the previous grant cycle, we successfully engineered yeast strains that can produce strictosidine, the universal precursor to MIAs, at titers exceeding 100 mg/L. In this proposal, we will engineer the downstream steps from strictosidine to overcome key metabolic bottlenecks, and develop new yeast based-technologies for engineering heterologous natural product pathways. In collaboration with the Di Carlo lab, we will deploy PicoShell enabled cell sorting to enable high throughput screening of MIA pathways. The PicoShell technology allows microfluidic-based, high throughput single-cell encapsulation from liquid culture. Encapsulated yeast cells can be grown in bulk in a monoclonal fashion and produce the compound of interest. PicoShell effectively amplifies reporter molecule signal from single yeast cells and can be sorted with FACS based on scatter (growth rate) and fluorescence (titer). Such workflow enables the merging of yeast pathway engineering with technologies that require high throughput screening, including directed evolution and genome wide CRISPRi screening. Our preliminary efforts have shown that a fluorescent natural product in the MIA pathway can serve as a reporter for the efficiency of the downstream steps during PicoShell enabled FACS sorting. This collaborative proposal will leverage Tang lab’s expertise in natural product biosynthesis with the new nanobiotechnology tools developed for yeast by the Di Carlo Lab. This will pave the way for complete reconstitution of important MIAs at high titers in yeast, as well as establishing new tools for yeast synthetic biology. Together we will address three aims: 1) overcoming key bottleneck step in post- strictosidine steps, specifically the low efficiency of strictosidine glucosidase (SGD); 2) host engineering with CRISPR interference and activation to increase strictosidine levels, using both rational and genome wide screening enabled by PicoShells; and 3) complete biosynthesis of complex MIAs ibogaine and mitragynine, two psychoactive MIAs that have generated significant interests as potential treatment for opioid addiction.

• Anesthetic-Eluting Contact Lens for Corneal Pain

  5UH3NS131518-03
  Joseph Ciolino · SCHEPENS EYE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, MA · $334,634 · awarded Apr 21, 2026 · UH3

  Acute corneal pain from injury or surgery can be severe and debilitating. Bandage contact lenses (BCLs) mitigate corneal pain and promote wound healing, but do not sufficiently treat the pain. As a result, oral opioids are also prescribed. Unfortunately, oral opioids are associated with side effects and have contributed to the nationwide opioid epidemic; for these reasons eye care providers and most patients prefer narcotics. Anesthetic eye drops, such as tetracaine, can relieve corneal pain, but cannot be prescribed for self-administration due to the potential for delayed wound healing that has been attributed to overuse and abuse of the drops. To date, NO ocular anesthetics are FDA-approved for self-administration. We have developed an anesthetic-eluting bandage contact lens (A-BCL) that enables controlled drug delivery of tetracaine by introducing a thin drug-polymer film that is fully encapsulated within the periphery of a typical hydrogel CL. The release profile can be modulated by changing the characteristics of the drug polymer film. Our preliminary data in rabbits demonstrates up to 30 hours of reduced pain stimulation and no evidence of compromised wound healing. Building on our laboratory’s experience, the goal of this application is to complete the necessary studies to bring the A-BCL to a first-in-human clinical trial through the following Aims: Aim 1: Optimization, efficacy, and characterization of A-BCLs. Aim 2: Drug distribution, safety, and biocompatibility of A-BCLs. Aim 3: Implementation of GMP production, Pre-IND meeting, and submission of IND application to the FDA for a first-in-human clinical trial using A-BCLs. In Aim 1, we will increase the duration of tetracaine release from one to two days while evaluating efficacy in normal rabbit eyes. We will also conduct characterization studies to ensure the A-BCL meets acceptable parameters for bandage contact lenses. From these studies, we will choose a A-BCL formulation, which will be used in Aim 2 for drug distribution, biocompatibility studies, and safety using a rabbit model of corneal epithelial wound healing. In Aim 3, we will complete technology transfer of A-BCL production to a GMP facility. With guidance from regulatory consultants (ORA), we will conduct a Pre-IND meeting. Once this is complete, we will proceed with our biocompatibility studies and complete an IND application that will be submitted to the FDA for a first-in-human Phase I/II clinical trial. If these efforts are successful, patients will have, for the first time, an opioid-free treatment for severe corneal pain.

• CTSA K12 Program at the University of Michigan

  5K12TR004374-04
  VICKI ELLINGROD · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR, MI · $1,620,000 · awarded Apr 21, 2026 · K12

  The Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) career development programs have provided innovative and impactful clinical and translational research training and support to more than 90 multidisciplinary scientists from across the translational science spectrum since 2017 who have continued on to make important scientific discoveries. Over the past 15 years, our alumni have authored more than 3300 scientific papers that have generated more than 53,000 social media remarks and been included in 240 policy documents. They have also received more than $400M in research grant support. Our scholars have emerged as translational science leaders and influential mentors for those following their path as they lead translational research programs at the national level. Their efforts have contributed to solving some of the nation’s most vexing health challenges ranging from basic drug and genomic discovery to policy research addressing health challenges and the opioid crisis. MICHR’s K12 program is continually strengthened through our robust evaluation platform, which integrates critical feedback from multiple stakeholder groups to implement new competency-based educational initiatives. Our outstanding program faculty, all of which have undergone mentor training, welcome our K12 scholars into their highly successful research programs (more than $90M in extramural funds). The new MICHR K12 program will support 11 scholars annually, who are at a senior postdoctoral fellow or early faculty level, by providing new programmatic initiatives to support institutional transformation regarding the development of a successful career in translational science. Through the following areas of thematic focus, we will support each K12 scholar for two to three years as they work to gain translational research independence during their time in our program: 1) Fortify career trajectories with precision preparation in translational science and research; 2) Accelerate translation by preparing scholars to best utilize scientific social networks; 3) Prepare scholars to be versatile communicators who lead effective research teams and become science advocates. Our expected outcome is a K12 program that better prepares and equips scholars for long-term successes in conducting translational research and science, particularly after leaving our program as they secure external research support. These efforts will also allow us to continue MICHR’s legacy of building strong leaders within interdisciplinary research scientific communities across the translational science spectrum that impact human health.

• Community OHCA Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning: A Multi-Domain Approach to Prevention and Preparedness

  1R01MD019007-01A1
  MARINA DEL RIOS · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, IL · $686,906 · awarded Apr 20, 2026 · R01

  PROJECT SUMMARY Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death in the United States (US). Advances in resuscitation science have improved survival rates in some communities, but wide variability in incidence and survival outcomes persist. Multiple geographic and temporal factors contribute to this variability such as comorbidity burden, place effects, access to healthcare, poverty, community resources, and variation in clinical care policies. Given the substantial public health burden of OHCA and marked geographic variability in incidence and survival, developing a targeted framework to identify and measure OHCA incident and outcome risks is essential. We will employ a participatory and mixed methods approach that combines machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence with qualitative research methods to develop and evaluate an OHCA risk score and a virtual laboratory (VL) environment as decision support tools to inform community-level interventions to improve OHCA outcomes. We will first engage community representatives and officials, involved in the OHCA system of care (e.g. community service organizations, emergency medical service providers, hospital quality assurance officers, public health officials, and cardiac arrest survivors) to participate in focus groups and key informant interviews to identify optimal and efficient data elements to define a scalable and usable OHCA risk score (Aim 1). Based on this information, we will then employ ML methods to develop the OHCA risk score and VL environment (Aim 2), which will then be discussed and evaluated by community representatives (Aim 3). These elements of participatory ML will provide important context for data interpretation while building trust in the OHCA risk score and VL environment as pre-implementation tools to diagnose local delivery capabilities and develop implementation strategies to overcome any barriers identified. The OHCA risk score and VL environments resulting from this project can inform public health messaging, aid local public health departments and hospitals to identify areas where surveillances needs to be heightened, and inform government agencies where to direct funding and resource allocation as it pertains both to the chain of survival as well as prevention and early identification of patients at risk for OHCA. This work is a necessary first step to direct strategic investments in emergency response infrastructure and community-level interventions to improve preparedness and optimize OHCA survival outcomes.

• An Integrated Geospatial and Community-based Model to Prevent Opioid Overdose among Black Americans

  3K08DA058080-04S1
  Devin Banks · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, MO · $75,584 · awarded Apr 17, 2026 · K08

  “Opioid overdose death (OOD) rates among Black Americans have increased unabated since 2015, outpacing national averages at a rate of two to one. Health disparities in the growth rate of OOD have been documented in at least 23 states, including Missouri, which has second highest rate of OOD among Black Americans: 44 per 100,000 (relative to 16 per 100,000 nationally). There is a critical need to identify and mitigate environmental determinants of health (EDOH) that drive increasing health disparities in OOD and opioid use disorder treatment utilization. One strategy that addresses EDOH—such as low geographic access to treatment and high neighborhood deprivation—is community-based outreach, which dispatches peers and community health workers to provide overdose education, naloxone distribution, and linkage to evidence-based treatment. Although these efforts can improve psychoeducation and access to treatment for Black Americans, existing outreach interventions are limited by a lack of data-driven targets. There is an urgent need to identify and disseminate geographic and environmental drivers of OOD among Black Americans to improve the efficacy of existing outreach interventions and in turn, develop data-driven solutions to health disparities affecting this population. The current K08 addresses this need by integrating geospatial information systems (GIS) technology and community based participatory research to create a digital tool designed to 1) identify current EDOH that underlie OOD among Black Americans and 2) provide data-driven targets to improve the efficacy of community-based outreach interventions. The project aims and career development plan will concurrently support Dr. Banks’ transition to an independent clinical investigator focused on the integration of technology and community engagement to improve substance use treatment among populations facing health disparities. Specific aims of the project are to: 1) develop and evaluate the predictive validity of a GIS-enabled index (the “Community Overdose Prevention Index”) to model risk for OOD based on EDOH identified and rated by community experts and 2) demonstrate initial acceptability and utility of the Community Overdose Prevention Index to guide outreach interventions aimed at reducing health disparities in OOD via interviews with peers and community health workers. Aims and related training opportunities facilitated by the rich intellectual environment at Washington University in St. Louis will support Dr. Banks’ training goals to gain expertise in digital/mobile health therapeutics, opioid use disorder treatment, and implementation science. Outcomes include the identification of EDOH that underlie OOD among Black Americans and a replicable implementation model other regions can use to identify policy and intervention targets to reduce health disparities in OOD among various populations. The research will provide the training and data necessary for an R01 application that tests the effectiveness of a mobile version of the Community Overdose Prevention Index to improve community-based prevention outcomes.”

• Parents Who Misuse Opioids and have Dependent Children: Identifying and Mobilizing Social Network Members to Support Drug Treatment Engagement

  1K01DA065780-01
  Lauren Dayton · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, MD · $197,624 · awarded Apr 17, 2026 · K01

  PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Parental opioid misuse presents a critical public health challenge, with strong evidence linking opioid misuse among parents to adverse outcomes for both parents and their children. Engagement in drug treatment with medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is a key strategy for improving outcomes in families affected by opioid misuse, as MOUD has been shown to improve child permanency and reduce child mortality. Despite this, many parents who misuse opioids and have dependent children (PWUO-DC) face significant barriers to initiating and sustaining MOUD. Social networks are a powerful, yet understudied, influence on MOUD engagement among PWUO-DC. These networks may offer essential support or present barriers to treatment engagement. The overarching goal of Dr. Lauren Dayton’s research career is to identify and leverage social network dynamics to improve the health and well-being of PWUO-DC and their children. The proposed K01 career development award will equip Dr. Dayton with the training and pilot data needed to become an independent investigator focused on developing network-based recovery models tailored for PWUO-DC. This exploratory sequential mixed-methods study, guided by the Implementation Mapping Framework will address key gaps in the literature by pursuing three research aims: 1) Examine how drug-free network members support PWUO-DC engagement and retention in MOUD and identify barriers to providing support; 2) Characterize the composition and functions of social networks of PWUO-DC to identify factors associated with their engagement in MOUD; and, 3) Develop and component-test an intervention that mobilizes drug-free network members to support MOUD engagement among PWUO-DC. The training plan addresses the additional methodological and content skills Dr. Dayton needs to develop as an independent investigator aiming to improve the health and well-being of PWUO-DC and their children. The four training areas are: (1) drug treatment models, (2) family-focused substance use research, (3) implementation science, and (4) ethical research with families affected by opioid misuse. She will be mentored by a multidisciplinary team of senior investigators with strong NIH-funded research and mentorship experience, and supported by a robust institutional environment with deep expertise in substance use, implementation science, and ethics. This research aligns with NIDA’s Strategic Objective 2.4: Advance the science of recovery support, by exploring social network stigma and other barriers to MOUD engagement and advancing the development of network-based support strategies. Findings from this study will identify strategies to mobilize PWUO-DC’s drug-free network members to improve MOUD engagement, which can inform scalable, family-based recovery interventions and improve the health outcomes of families impacted by opioid misuse.

• Neurotensin 1 allosteric modulator for the treatment of pain

  1UG3NS141745-01A1
  Steven Olson · SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE, CA · $3,855,681 · awarded Apr 17, 2026 · UG3

  PROJECT SUMMARY The NIH HEAL Initiative aims to tackle two ongoing health care crises: opioid use disorder and uncontrolled pain. Pharmacological approaches targeting both crises are urgently needed. The neurotensin receptor 1 (NTR1) has been a sought-after target for the treatment of both pain and addiction, but development of balanced NTR1 agonists is precluded by their severe side effects. As a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) NTR1 signals through the activation of G proteins and β-arrestins (e.g., Arrb2). Arrb2 attenuates drug reward and suppresses pain via regulation of both GPCRs and non-GPCRs, including the NMDA receptor. We have demonstrated in rodents that SBI-553, a novel Arrb2-biased allosteric modulator (BAM) of NTR1, attenuates opioid reward and the reinforcing effects of psychostimulants without the side effects characteristic of balanced NTR1 signaling. Cryo- EM studies demonstrate that SBI-553 binds at an intracellular allosteric site and acts like a molecular glue, directing signaling to Arrb2 in the presence or absence of agonists. Recently we have shown that NTR1 BAMs produce potent antinociception in rodent models, a finding that builds off previous reports that neurotensin, NTR1’s endogenous ligand provided more potent pain relief than morphine through a mechanism that is independent of opioid receptors. NTR1 BAMs raise nociceptive thresholds in wild-type mice, but not in Ntsr1−/−or Arrb2−/− (knockout) mice, confirming the mechanistic requirement for NTR1 and Arrb2. Local or systemic delivery of NTR1 BAMs reduced hypersensitivity in mouse models of postoperative and neuropathic pain and suppressed excitatory synaptic transmission and NMDAR/ERK signaling in spinal cord nociceptive neurons. Additionally, NTR1 BAMs suppressed C-fiber-induced responses in vivo and action potential firing in mouse and human nociceptive sensory neurons in vitro. Collectively, our findings indicate that NTR1 BAMs are an exciting and novel approach to develop a first-in-class non-opioid drug for the treatment of pain. In this application we outline our plan to optimize and develop such a drug for postoperative pain. In the UG3 stage, we will leverage the structure activity relationships developed around SBI-553 and, through a structure-based design lead optimization process, refine and improve the properties of the leads. Co-structures of leads with NTR1 will be determined through CryoEM, such that the iterative medicinal chemistry, design-make-test cycle is informed by computational predictions using both artificial intelligence and structure-based drug design. In the UH3 phase the objective is to derive advanced leads with excellent in vivo potency in acute inflammatory pain, surgical pain, and chronic neuropathic pain models, outstanding drug-like properties, and no limiting CV or CNS safety risk. In the UH3 phase, the selected clinical candidate will be subjected to a standard battery of required IND-enabling studies, leading to an Investigational New Drug Application (IND). Upon acceptance of the IND, we will conduct a phase I, single ascending dose study in healthy volunteers to assess the safety, tolerability and PK of our clinical candidate.

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