Drs. Regina Mangieri and Angela Ozburn co-publishes with other members of the INIA consortia in the Journal of Clinical Investigations. The research article, entitled "Pre-clinical and clinical evidence for suppression of alcohol intake by apremilast", provides evidence that Apremilast, a medication originally by the FDA to treat the skin disease psoriasis, can also reduce excessive alcohol consumption in people who drink excessively by inhibiting an enzyme that is linked to alcohol dependence. Because of these collaborative efforts, NIAAA is exploring the possibility of performing clinical trials for apremilast as a potential therapeutic for Alcohol Use Disorder.

Grigsby KB, Mangieri RA, Roberts AJ, Lopez MF, Firsick EJ, Townsley KG, Beneze A, Bess J, Eisenstein TK, Meissler JJ, Light JM, Miller J, Quello S, Shadan F, Skinner MH, Aziz HC, Metten P, Morissett RA, Crabbe JC, Roberto M, Becker HC, Mason BJ, Ozburn AR. Pre-clinical and clinical evidence for suppression of alcohol intake by apremilast.J Clin Invest. 2023 Jan 19:e159103. doi:10.1172/JCI159103

Click here, or the link below to see a Nature News research highlight on the publication.

The Integrative Neuroscience Initiative on Alcoholism (INIA) Neuroimmune consortium was funded February 1, 2017 by NIH/NIAAA to identify the molecular, cellular, and behavioral neuroadaptations that occur in specific brain neurocircuitries that result in excessive alcohol consumption. This international, multidisciplinary initiative, has 10 projects that focus on the molecular and cellular neuroadaptations in brain addiction circuits with the goal of discovering therapeutic approaches that correct the damaging perturbations of these circuit components.