Cocaine use disorder is a major public health crisis with significant social and economic costs, yet there are currently no FDA-approved medications to treat it. While genetics certainly play a role in addiction, they do not tell the whole story. In our recent study, we explored the "missing heritability" of addiction by looking at epigenetics , specifically microRNAs (miRNAs) , to see how they change the brain during the difficult periods of withdrawal and long-term abstinen

Smoking remains a massive global health crisis, causing one in ten deaths worldwide. While many people want to quit, the intense grip of nicotine addiction makes it incredibly difficult, with roughly 80% of attempts ending in relapse. In our latest study with the Bardwell lab at HHMI, we used the power of "directed evolution" to supercharge a bacterial enzyme that can eat nicotine in the blood before it ever reaches the brain. The Big Question We focused on an enzyme called N

The opioid epidemic remains a critical public health crisis, fueled in part by the widespread prescription of medications like oxycodone. While these drugs are effective for pain, they carry a high risk for addiction and dangerous side effects like respiratory depression. In our recent study with the de Guglielmo lab, we explored how genetic background and sex influence the way the body processes oxycodone and the development of addiction like behaviors. The Big Question We s