Societal impact Findings from the research have been fed back with recommendations Paclitaxel CAS to participating community agencies via annual reports, workshops, conferences, and trainings to inform participating public health and educational systems in the United States and China. Two international conferences have brought together scientists and public health and education leaders from the United States, China, and other parts of the world. A third conference is scheduled for Bangkok in fall 2009. An international network, now supported by the National Institutes of Health Fogarty Center, has been developed for promulgation of research findings through prevention curriculum development and dissemination in schools of public health and medicine.

Numerous leaders from the scientific and public agency communities have been trained in workshops and certificate and degree programs for translation and implementation of the research findings. The continued substantial financial and institutional support of this program of action research by participating community agencies attests to their appreciation for and commitment to the value of the research for their public health and educational missions. University of Pennsylvania Focus of the center Nicotine dependence has a complex multifactorial etiology, underscoring the value of applying a TD research model. The mission of the University of Pennsylvania TTURC is to translate discoveries in basic neuroscience, pharmacology, genetics, and behavioral science to improve the treatment of nicotine dependence.

Key findings A key focus of the TTURC is translational research to elucidate the biobehavioral basis of nicotine dependence and identify novel targets for the development of new medications. One line of research in this area is investigating the role of the endogenous opioid system in nicotine reward and reinforcement. An initial finding in a pharmacogenetic trial of nicotine dependence treatment pointed to the role of genetic variation in the mu opioid receptor (OPRM1 gene) in a smoker��s ability to quit and maintain abstinence (Lerman et al., 2004). To clarify the underlying biobehavioral mechanisms of this association, parallel laboratory studies were performed in mice and humans. The mouse experiments (Walters, Cleck, Kuo, & Blendy, 2005) determined that the transcription factor cAMP response element binding (CREB) and the mu opioid receptor are involved in the rewarding, but not aversive, properties of nicotine.

The human experiment (Ray et al., 2006) showed Dacomitinib that a reduced function allele of the OPRM1 gene (Asp40) was associated with reduced nicotine reward and reinforcement. Interacting effects of the human CREB1 and OPRM1 genes in nicotine reward also were identified (Ray et al., 2007), consistent with the preclinical data.