Transforming Alcohol Use Disorder Research: UT Health Science Center Receives $400K Grant for Groundbreaking Study

For many families, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) isn’t just a label—it’s a daily battle filled with loss and questions. Despite years of research, understanding why some people become addicted to alcohol remains elusive for scientists.

At the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Dr. Chang Hoon Jee is on a mission to uncover new insights into AUD. With a $399,076 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), he is leading a study titled “Repurposing FDA-approved Drugs to Target Chronic Alcohol Tolerance.”

Alcohol tolerance makes people consume more to feel the same effects. This need drives many into dependence. Current treatments are limited, and while some promising options like psychedelics exist, they face many hurdles. Dr. Jee’s approach offers a fresh perspective.

Instead of developing new drugs from scratch, his team is focusing on repurposing existing FDA-approved medications. This could speed up the availability of new treatments. To aid this research, they are using the tiny worm *Caenorhabditis elegans*. These worms share key neurological pathways with humans and display behaviors similar to those in humans when it comes to alcohol, such as developing tolerance and showing signs of withdrawal. This makes them valuable for studying how alcohol affects the brain.

Dr. Jee’s lab will conduct screenings of various existing medications to identify which ones might disrupt chronic alcohol tolerance and dependence. They will also explore the role of serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to addiction, which researchers are still working to fully understand.

Dr. Jee believes his project has the potential to provide quicker pathways to treatments. “Leveraging FDA-approved drugs helps reduce barriers and speeds up the process of finding effective therapies for those with Alcohol Use Disorder,” he stated.

The implications of this research extend beyond AUD, potentially helping millions facing related issues and giving hope for better treatment options in the future.

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