Biochemical and genetic factors that drive heavy drinking
Official title: 7/11 Biochemical and Genetic Determinants of Alcohol Consumption
Funded at University of Texas at Austin · NIH-11295369 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing whether blocking interferon signaling can lower excessive alcohol drinking and help people with alcohol-use problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project start | September 27, 2001 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $454,375 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AA013520-25 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295369 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who drink heavily or who have been diagnosed with alcohol use disorder would be the likely candidates for future clinical trials based on this work.
✕Less likely to help
People who only drink socially or whose drinking is driven by non-biological factors may not receive direct benefit from treatments targeting interferon signaling.
What this research studies
This project builds on findings that alcohol changes immune signaling in the brain and may promote heavier drinking. Researchers will use mice that lack key genes in the type 1 interferon (IFN1) pathway and will give drugs that block IFN1 signaling to see how these changes affect drinking and alcohol-related behaviors using an every-other-day two-bottle choice method. They will measure interferon-stimulated genes and other downstream signaling molecules linked to Toll-like receptor pathways to understand how these immune signals influence drinking. The goal is to identify immune-related mechanisms that could be targeted to reduce excessive alcohol intake.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new drug targets that reduce excessive drinking in people with alcohol use disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal and human studies have linked immune and Toll-like receptor signaling to alcohol use, but directly targeting interferon signaling as a treatment is largely untested in people.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Blednov, Yuri a — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Blednov, Yuri a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.