Alejandro Lopez, a graduate research assistant at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, has just discovered a new mechanism for allopregnanolone inhibition of inflammatory signaling. Allopregnanolone inhibits binding of lipopolysaccaride (LPS) to it’s binding site in the binding pocket of the toll-like receptor: Myeloid differentiation factor-2 (TLR4:MD2) protein complex with nanomolar affinity.  Such high affinity … Read more

Join the #UNCResearch community as part of our first-ever Catalyst Faculty Research Cluster Program. We’re seeking up to four researchers for tenure-track assistant professor positions to build a new cross-disciplinary team that will advance substance use disorder (SUD) treatment from the bench to the bedside. This cluster hiring initiative builds on Carolina’s strengths in public … Read more

The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies hosted its annual fall picnic on October 26, with members enjoying a warm autumn day filled with pumpkin carving, lawn games, and great company. The sunny weather made it the perfect setting for fun and relaxation. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an fun afternoon!  

Christian Hendershot, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Clinical and Translational Addiction Research Program at the UNC School of Medicine, presented early findings from the first completed randomized controlled trial of semaglutide for reducing alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers. Read more.

Fulton Crews, Ph.D., a John Andrews Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology and BCAS faculty member, was named a “Highly Ranked Scholar” in alcohol use disorder research by ScholarGPS. “Highly Ranked Scholars” are the most productive (measured by number of publications) authors whose works are of profound impact (measured by number of citations) and of … Read more

Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies faculty Zoe McElligott, PhD, and colleagues found that the animal tranquilizer xylazine activates opioid receptors in the brain, suggesting a reason why the treatment naloxone triggers a more severe withdrawal response when given to individuals on fentanyl/xylazine and suffering from respiratory depression. Read the UNC press release here.

Leslie Morrow, PhD, John Andrews Distinguished Professor in the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, has been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA). The RSA Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a person who has had a long, balanced career including contributions to alcohol research, training, service, and advocacy. Read more.

Laura Ornelas, Ph.D., will be joining the University of New Mexico in August 2024 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Ornelas is part of an early-career research faculty cohort hired through the UNM Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) program, which is funded by a NIH FIRST grant. The … Read more

Leon Coleman, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and a member of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, is part of a team selected as finalists for UNC’s 2024 Creativity Hubs seeding-funding competition awarded by the UNC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Also on the team are Benjamin Vincent, Associate Professor of Hematology … Read more

Michael Bremmer, a PhD student in the Behavioral and Integrative Neuroscience (BIN) program at the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, received a Doctoral Student Small Grant from the Research Society on Alcohol. He was one of five students nationwide to win this award … Read more