The Office of Research on Women’s Health and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has awarded a U54 Specialized Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) grant to the Yale-SCORE investigative team.
The project title is “Sex Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder.” This is the third round of SCORE funding for the Yale investigators.
Yale-SCORE is directed by Sherry McKee, PhD, Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry. Project leads are Marina Picciotto, PhD; Yann Mineur, PhD, MS; Kelly Cosgrove, PhD; Ismene Petrakis, MD; and Ralitza Gueorguieva, PhD.
Alcohol use is the fourth leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in the United States. Historically, rates of drinking have been greater in men when compared to women. However, this gap is rapidly closing due to increases in alcohol consumption among women. Currently, 12 million U.S. women meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder and experience exacerbated alcohol-related health risks including cognitive deficits, brain atrophy, liver inflammation, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity, and certain cancers when compared to men. Concerningly, rates of alcohol-related mortality have recently increased by 35% in women versus 27% in men.
The primary aim of the Yale-SCORE is to inform and expedite the development of novel therapeutics that target sex-differences in alcohol use disorder. McKee said that all FDA-approved medications for alcohol use were developed exclusively or primarily in samples of men, and none target factors that differentially maintain drinking in women.
Additional aims of the grant include mentoring and providing salary support to the next generation of translational and interdisciplinary researchers focused on sex and alcohol science and continuing to provide a national resource on sex differences and alcohol use.