Spatial-biology unlocking a novel therapeutic strategy for opioid use disorder
Supervisors:
Prof Andrew Tobin, School of Molecular Biosciences
Prof Nigel Jamieson, School of Cancer Sciences
Summary:
The global opioid crisis is of epidemic proportion with over 26 million people estimated worldwide to be suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD). Many of these cases involve people that were not previously exposed to opioids before they were prescribed opioid analgesics for post-operative or injury related pain relief. Our preclinical data have indicated that inhibition of a specific receptor, the M5-muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M5-receptor), which is mainly found in the reward/seek mesolimbic system in the brain, can prevent the acquisition of addiction to prescribed opioids. This PhD programme will aim to define the mechanism by which the M5-receptor regulates the reward pathway and how best to pharmacologically target the receptor to impact reward and seek behaviour. The primary techniques that will be used in this study will centre on state-of-the-art spatial-biology, advanced-imaging, molecular pharmacology and murine behavioural studies. The student will join well-funded labs of Professor’s Andrew Tobin and Nigel Jamiseon and have the opportunity of placements to experience drug-discovery at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University (USA) and in Keltic Pharma Therapeutics Ltd (Glasgow).