Yale center mapping how opioids and HIV affect brain cells
The Y-SCORCH Data Generation Center at Yale for Single-Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV
This project will map how opioid use and HIV alter individual brain cell types in people with and without these conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-10909933 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The Yale center will analyze brain tissue from 20 donors split into four groups: people without conditions, people with HIV, people with opioid use disorder (OUD), and people with both HIV and OUD. For each brain they will study four areas linked to addiction and HIV effects (prefrontal cortex, ventral striatum, insular cortex, and amygdala) and apply single-nucleus RNA sequencing and ATAC-seq to read gene activity and chromatin states in individual cells. The work aims to identify which cell types can harbor HIV, which cell populations are changed by opioids, and any rare cell types or circuits tied to brain dysfunction. The team will share the resulting data so other researchers can build on the findings toward better diagnostics and treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people with HIV, people with opioid use disorder, people with both conditions, or controls who can donate brain tissue after death (or whose families consent to donation).
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatments are unlikely to benefit directly because this project analyzes donated brain tissue and does not test therapies in living patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal which brain cells carry HIV and how opioids damage cellular circuits, guiding new strategies to protect or treat the brain in people with HIV and/or OUD.
How similar studies have performed: Single-cell and single-nucleus methods have successfully mapped brain cell types before, but applying them specifically to human brain HIV reservoirs and opioid effects is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Spudich, Serena S — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Spudich, Serena S
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.