EurekAlert! National Institutes of Health - National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Latest funded news by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Funded News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 4-Jun-2026 22:15 ET (5-Jun-2026 02:15 GMT/UTC)

4-Jun-2026

Researchers find older adults rarely discuss cannabis use with clinicians

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fewer than one in five adults older than 65 report discussing their cannabis use with clinicians, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

Their study, published online ahead of print in the August 2026 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, explored the prevalence of conversations between patients and clinicians about cannabis use and its potential harms.

Journal: American Journal of Preventive Medicine

1-Jun-2026

E-cigarette flavor and device type play a key role in vaping-related molecular changes, study finds

Keck School of Medicine of USC
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People who vape regularly show altered activity in 3,124 genes compared with non-users, and two-thirds of those changes are linked to e-cigarette flavor and device type rather than how often or how much someone vapes, according to new research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

Journal: Frontiers in Oncology
Funder: University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program

21-May-2026

AI helps create miniprotein switches for drug targets

University of Washington School of Medicine/UW Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

G protein-coupled receptors sit in the plasma membrane, the boundary that defines the inside and outside of a living cell. They communicate with nearly every physiological process in our bodies, from the ability to see and smell, to sensing of adrenaline, insulin, nutrients and medicines. Researchers now report using AI to create tiny, computationally designed proteins to activate or block G protein-coupled receptors. The methods used in their study may form a roadmap for future efforts to create new drug candidates for metabolic, inflammatory, and neurological diseases. These approaches would try to target G protein-coupled receptors that have been largely inaccessible to conventional drug discovery.

Journal: Nature
Funder: Austrian Science Fund Erwin Schrödinger Program, BioInnovation Institute Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Novo Nordisk, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Microsoft, Audacious Project, Nordstrom Barrier Institute for Protein Design Directors Fund, The Open Philanthropy Project Universal Flu Vaccine Fund, The Open Philanthropy Project Improving Protein Design Fund, The Wu Tsai Protein Innovation Fund, Cancer Research UK, Department of the Defense and Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, U.S. Department of Defense, CureSearch for Children's Cancer, DBT Wellcome Trust India Alliance, ANRF, Department of Biotechnology, Lady Tata Memorial Trust

21-May-2026

Boston Medical Center physician-scientist to pioneer platform integrating HIV prevention and addiction treatment into routine care

Boston Medical Center
Grant and Award Announcement

Alyssa Tilhou, MD, PhD, vice chair for research in family medicine at Boston Medical Center, is working to ensure that all patients are given the opportunity to benefit from comprehensive addiction and HIV prevention services when they present for care. Dr. Tilhou’s work has earned her one of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) prestigious Avenir Awards, supporting exceptionally innovative early-career researchers.

20-May-2026

Scientists identify brain circuit that helps us “change gears”

University of California - Riverside
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have identified a key neural circuit that helps the brain “change gears.” The study shows that a tiny brainstem structure called the locus coeruleus plays a central role in helping the brain switch between behavioral rules and maintain flexible thinking.

Journal: eLife

19-May-2026

Rising amputation rates among opioid-related hospitalizations

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study examined U.S. hospitalizations from 2016–2022 to better understand how amputation rates have shifted over time and across regions.The study found that during this period, amputation rates increased among both opioid- and non-opioid-related hospitalizations, but the rise was significantly steeper among opioid-related cases—especially in the Northeast and Western United States.

Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine

19-May-2026

Nicotine e-cigarettes reduce harmful chemical exposure, help smokers quit

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the first U.S. randomized placebo-controlled trial of its kind, researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found that smokers who switched from traditional cigarettes to pod-based salt-nicotine e-cigarettes were three times more likely to quit smoking within six weeks and were exposed to lower levels of harmful tobacco-related toxicants.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

8-May-2026

Rewiring the urge to smoke

Medical University of South Carolina
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center highlights a promising new approach to smoking cessation by targeting the brain’s executive control system. In a randomized clinical trial led by Hollings researcher Xingbao Li, M.D., noninvasive brain stimulation aimed at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex helped participants reduce smoking and suppress cravings more effectively than other targeting approaches.

The findings suggest that strengthening brain regions involved in decision-making and self-control may help people to better manage the urge to smoke. The work adds to growing efforts at Hollings to expand evidence-based tobacco treatment options and better understand the brain mechanisms underlying addiction.

Journal: Journal of Psychiatric Research
Funder: Loveless Foundation