デューク大学 Duke University コメントを書く

The primary focus of my current research is to understand and elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying tobacco addiction, psycho-stimulants addiction (drug abuses) and to develop and promote more effective treatments for smoking cessation and drug abuse. To accomplish these goals, we evaluate the rational combination of existing behavioral and pharmacologic approaches to smoking cessation and drug addiction treatment. We are conducting clinical trails to assess the acute effects of nicotinic agonists and antagonists on smoking behavior, nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cognitive performance to develop neuronal nicotinic receptor agonist and antagonists for possible therapeutic use in smoking cessation and psycho-stimulant abuse. Furthermore, we are profiling the pharmacokinetic and bioanalytical data on the drug molecules and its metabolites, to investigate the efficacy of new approaches for smoking cessation treatments. Additionally, we also conduct experiments to design and develop an efficient nicotine delivery through aerosol system; and to identify novel compounds from cigarette smoke that show promise for medication development through laboratory animal models.

I am currently working as a research associate at the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. My key responsibilities revolve around development of analytical procedures and methods for metabolite profiling of nicotine, other tobacco compounds and investigational drug molecules in a variety of biological matrices.