Single Cell Opioid Responses in the Context of HIV (SCORCH) Program: Data Mining and Functional (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The SCORCH grant program aims to teach us more about the relationship between HIV, substance use disorders (SUD), and opioid responses at a cellular level. It does not permit R21 clinical trials. Instead, it encourages researchers to mine data from the SCORCH program. This involves searching for specific cell types, transcripts, enhancers and transcriptional networks that may influence the molecular responses linked with HIV or SUD.

The program also provides support for functional validation studies. These studies might include methods such as epigenomic or transcriptomic manipulation or high throughput secondary screening. Their purpose is to put to test any identified biological roles that the data-mined cell types, transcripts, enhancers, or transcriptional networks could have in HIV or SUD molecular responses.

The ultimate goal of this initiative is to generate a foundational understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying SUD and/or HIV, including the effects on cognitive phenotypes in NeuroHIV. The knowledge gained could potentially be used to devise new, effective therapies for either SUD or HIV.