The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded a $5.6 million grant to the Neuroproteomics & Neurometabolomics Center on Cell-Cell Signaling. Established in 2005 at Illinois, the Center is a designated NIDA Center of Excellence that provides expertise and technologies to support researchers who require state-of-the-art measurements in proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics.
The Center’s four scientific cores are led by Project Director, Jonathan Sweedler, a professor of chemistry and faculty member at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and three co-investigators: Elena Romanova, a research assistant professor, Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, a professor of animal sciences, and Neil Kelleher, a professor at Northwestern University. Now funded through 2029, the Center will advance state-of-the-art proteomics and metabolomics technologies focused on the study of addiction mechanisms in the central nervous system.
According to Sweedler: “The Center focuses on cell-to-cell signaling, because this intercellular communication plays an important role in the organization and coordination of biological systems. A large number of molecules are involved in communication among cells of the brain. Each year, scientists discover more endogenous molecules that many of the drugs of abuse mimic via receptor binding and other functions. Not only are these molecules particularly relevant in understanding the mechanisms of drug addiction and abuse, they present high-value targets for pharmacological intervention. Our Center, working with both national and international collaborators, has characterized more neuropeptides than any other discovery effort, reported new functions for known peptides, and characterized changes in the peptidome / proteome / metabolome related to pain, addiction, and fundamental neuroscience. These advances have been made possible through our creation of a range of new technologies now being used by neuroscientists and addiction researchers that are having an impact in their respective fields.”
By focusing on signaling molecules (including transmitters, modulators, peptides) and their related transcripts, proteins, and protein complexes, the Illinois P30 Center enables researchers to explore fundamental and practical questions about the mechanisms of learning, memory, development and behavior, and how these brain systems are altered by drugs of abuse. Overall, the Center enhances the research for a broad group of fundamental neuroscience and NIDA-supported projects through our collaborative and supportive efforts.