Doo-Sup Choi, Ph.D.

Dr. Choi's research has identified several molecular and biological mechanisms underlying alcohol abuse and addiction with the goal of developing new treatment methods. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) P20 grant has enabled the establishment of an effective research program to identify biomarkers for the creation of individualized treatments for alcohol use disorders.

The program researchers have published a series of important scientific findings:

• Diminished aversion to the acute intoxicating effect of alcohol as an essential component leading to increased alcohol consumption in mice lacking a molecule that transports adenosine.
• Increased glutamate levels in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum as an important role in gene expression.
• Significant alcohol reduction in mice with increased glutamate levels using acamprosate, a medication used to treat alcoholism.
• Association of a specific variant of the ENT1 gene with a higher predisposition to alcohol withdrawal seizures in alcoholics.

Dr. Choi organized a symposium at the annual Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in 2010 and 2011. He has served as a reviewer for numerous peer-reviewed articles, as an adviser on NIH study sections and as academic editor of the research journal PLoS One.

Dr. Choi and his team continue to move toward establishing an individualized treatment center for alcohol-use disorders by examining the molecular basis of genetic variants that have pharmacological effects. Also planned is the development of neuroimaging strategies using animal models to provide a better understanding of how medications such as acamprosate decrease craving.

The Samuel C. Johnson support has provided the foundation for initial clinical investigations. Since 2006 the laboratory has been awarded two National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants, providing ongoing support for our preclinical research team.