Los Angeles County
is notorious for its rising rates of substance abuse. 7.6% of Los Angeles County residents aged 12 and above live with a substance use disorder, meaning over 760,000 people are affected within our communities, districts, and schools.
Drugs
produce an intense feeling of euphoria, causing an unhealthy amount of dopamine production and release in the brain. Our human brains are wired to remember pleasurable activities to increase the chances of its recurrence. The dopaminergic pathway is responsible for the human system’s pleasure circulation.
Research
has shown that G9a activity is responsible for regulating the genes that influence the production and release of dopamine. They found that reducing the levels of G9a in rats’ brains decreased their desire to consume cocaine, suggesting that G9a plays a crucial role in addictive behaviors.
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CALIMOD:
To introduce this overexpression of G9a, we designed a
three-component system to address all aspects of this problem more inclusively and comprehensively
1.Plasmid Creation: We constructed and validated a plasmid with a CMV promoter and puromycin resistance gene in E. coli.
2. siRNA Transfection: We designed and tested small interfering RNA (siRNA) to lower G9a expression in HEK293-T cells.
3.Lipid Nanoparticle Targeting: We will develop lipid nanoparticles to deliver siRNA specifically to the nucleus accumbens shell.
