Key Dates

Related Announcements

PA-19-052 - NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-19-053 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-19-054 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)

PA-19-092 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

PA-19-055 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)

PA-19-056 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

PA-19-091 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

Issued by

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Purpose

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is issuing this Notice to highlight its interest in preclinical and clinical research to advance the understanding of the effects of concomitant use of opioids and stimulants. The use of opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl, together with stimulants, such as methamphetamine and cocaine, is increasing; and deaths attributed to using these combinations are likewise increasing (Al-Tayyib et al., 2017; Jones et al, 2019; LaRue et al., 2019). Opioid overdose causes asphyxiation due to respiratory depression and stimulant overdose causes agitation, hyperthermia, and cardiac events due to sympathetic stimulation; however, the effects of their concomitant use have not been adequately characterized. Treatment of overdose of opioid-stimulant combinations is currently based on symptoms. Studies in animals and cell culture have demonstrated that exposure to an opioid and methamphetamine together can be more toxic than either drug alone (Namiki et al., 2005; Tian et al., 2017). However, the mechanisms underlying the potentially enhanced toxicity of the combination remain unknown. Identifying how opioids and stimulants interact in combination to produce increased toxicity will enhance our ability to develop medications to prevent and treat comorbid opioid and stimulant use disorders and overdoses associatedwith this combination of drugs.

Research Objectives

• To support mechanism-based approaches that will 1) elucidate factors and mechanisms mediating the toxic effects of concomitant opioid and stimulant use and 2) point to new therapeutic targets and prevention strategies.

Areas of programmatic interest to NIDA include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying and understanding the medical safety risks of concomitant opioid and stimulant use
• Identifying mechanisms that underly increased or unique toxic effects of concomitant opioid and stimulant use including, but not limited to, molecular pathways, neurotransmitter actions, peripheral pathophysiological processes, and central-peripheral neural network interactions
• Identifying organ- or physiological system-specific vulnerabilities to concomitant opioid-stimulant exposure and use
• Understanding how concomitant opioid and stimulant use affect homeostasis of physiological systems (cardiovascular and respiratory)
• Understanding how concomitant opioid and stimulant use affect each other’s pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics
• Identifying risk factors (e.g., genetic polymorphisms) that may predispose certain individuals to be more susceptible to toxic effects of concomitant opioid and stimulant use
• Identifying potential physiological markers of toxicity due to opioid-stimulant interactions that could be used to diagnose and manage patients more effectively
• Developing treatments for overdose due to concomitant opioid and stimulant use
• Development of treatments for comorbid Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorders

Application and Submission Information

This notice applies to due dates on or after June 5, 2020 and subsequent receipt dates through September 8, 2023.

Submit applications for this initiative using one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of these announcement through the expiration date of this notice.

• PA-19-052 - NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent R03 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

• PA-19-053 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

• PA-19-054 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Clinical Trial Required)

• PA-19-092 - NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

• PA-19-055 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Required)

• PA-19-056 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

• PA-19-091 - NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the funding opportunity announcement used for submission must be followed, with the following additions:

• For funding consideration, applicants must include NOT-DA-20-007 (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.

Inquiries

Scientific/Research Contact(s)

Nathan M. Appel, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse / Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences
Telephone: 301-827-5918
Email: [email protected]

Katrina Foster, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse / Division of Therapeutics and Medical Consequences
Telephone: 301-827-5815
Email: [email protected]

Holly Moore, Ph.D.
National Institute on Drug Abuse / Division of Neuroscience and Behavior
Telephone: 301-827-7376
Email: [email protected]