Using gene-activity scores to link human alcohol risk with animal models
A Framework for Translating Polygenic Findings Related to Alcohol Use Disorder Across Species
This work builds a gene-based score to connect human genetic risk for alcohol problems with animal behaviors to help make lab research more useful for people with alcohol use disorder.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11162497 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team combines large human genetic studies of alcohol use with experiments in rodents to create a "polygenic transcriptomic risk score" (PTRS) that sums genetically predicted activity across many genes. Because PTRS works at the gene level, researchers can map those gene signals to matching genes in mice or rats and see whether the human-based score predicts alcohol-related behaviors in animals. The project uses existing human GWAS datasets plus rodent behavioral testing and genetic analyses to test this cross-species translation approach. If the PTRS predicts relevant animal behaviors, it can help researchers pick better animal models and biological targets for future treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people whose genetic data and alcohol use information are already included in large research cohorts or biobanks.
Not a fit: People looking for immediate clinical treatment or personal therapy should not expect direct benefit from this basic translational research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make animal research better reflect human biology and speed discovery of treatments for alcohol use disorder.
How similar studies have performed: Polygenic risk scores are commonly used in human genetics, but applying gene-based PTRS across species is a novel and largely untested idea.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Palmer, Abraham a. — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Palmer, Abraham a.
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 below.