Partnership
The National Center for Wellness and Recovery (NCWR) recently participated in a summit in Washington, D.C., focused on the importance of collaboration in pain and addiction research, education and treatment. The event ‘Making a Difference in the Opioid Epidemic through Partnership’ highlighted the collaboration between the National Center for Wellness and Recovery at Oklahoma State University and the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center (CPAC) and the Center of Excellence for Addiction Studies (CEAS).
Director of the Division of Neuroscience and Behavior at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Rita Valentino said, “The leaders that have formed this unique collaboration between the Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center, the NIDA-funded Center of Excellence in Addiction Studies and the National Center for Wellness and Recovery at OSU have the vision to see how collaborating and leveraging shared resources will accelerate progress towards achieving the goals of understanding the overlapping neurobiology of pain and addiction and developing treatments for both.”
Researchers
Todd Vanderah, Dr. Mohab Ibrahim and Frank Porreca from the University of Arizona Health Sciences CPAC and the CEAS , along with Don Kyle, chief executive officer of the NCWR, highlighted several projects that could potentially change the landscape of pain and addiction recovery and treatment. The expert panel of researchers discussed their work on innovative solutions to meet urgent medical needs surrounding overdose interventions and enhancing the treatment of opioid use disorder and chronic pain.
The work
The projects encompass a wide array of critical areas, including the development of potent agents to reverse fentanyl overdoses, novel medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction, investigations into the impact of vaping on drug delivery and brain functioning and the exploration of pain relief strategies with reduced side effects. The team is also gearing up to conduct clinical trials for potential new medications and educational programs to benefit the scientific community and people in need.