An award for groundbreaking research on the neurochemical effects of nicotine was given Feb. 20th to University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Allan Collins by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.Ìý
Collins, a professor of psychology and a faculty fellow in the Institute for Behavioral Genetics at CU-Boulder, won the Langley Award for Basic Science in Nicotine Pharmacology as a result of a number of important nicotine addiction discoveries made in his lab.
His research focuses on identifying neurochemical systems that help regulate behavioral responses to drugs of abuse, particularly nicotine and alcohol. Collins said that many members of his lab were able to accompany him to the SRNT annual meeting in New Orleans last week.
"The award recognizes the contributions of many people who've worked in my lab over the years - graduate students, post-doctoral students and undergraduates," Collins said.
Collins' lab has used genetic strategies because studies indicate that genetic factors regulate addiction to both nicotine and alcohol. The long-term goal of his work is to develop drugs that modify critical addiction-related systems.
"One of our most important discoveries was that, with chronic nicotine use, we found an increase in brain nicotinic receptors. Some people feel that has something to do with the addiction process," Collins said.Ìý
Nicotinic receptors are a protein complex in the brain that normally respond to the natural neurotransmitter acetylcholine, he said. Scientists have observed that nicotine disrupts the normal function of the receptors.
Collins received his doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin in 1969 before receiving a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health at the University of Colorado Medical School. He joined the faculty of the University of Colorado in 1972. He is a member of several scientific societies, including the SRNT, for which he has served on the board of directors. He has authored or co-authored 253 scientific articles and 236 scientific abstracts.
Collins said he was honored to receive the Langley Award but was quick to praise the members of his lab and to point out there is still much work to be done to figure out exactly what drives nicotine addiction.Ìý
"I think we've put some bricks in the wall of knowledge, but we haven't built the wall. We've got a long way to go," he said.
Collins is only the second recipient of the Langley Award, which the SRNT gives once every three years. The award is named for an early 20th century scientist credited with the first work on nicotinic receptors. The first Langley Award winner was also a Nobel laureate.
The award honors scientists who have made groundbreaking advances in basic nicotine research in the areas of pharmacology, neuroscience or genetics. Winners get a $2,000 prize and an expense-paid trip to the SRNT annual meeting to present a plenary lecture.
The mission of the SRNT is to stimulate new knowledge concerning nicotine in all its manifestations, from molecular to societal. The organization sponsors scientific meetings and publications on the biological, behavioral, social and economic effects of nicotine, encourages scientific research on public health efforts for the prevention and treatment of cigarette and tobacco use, and facilitates expert advice and consultation on nicotine issues to government and regulatory agencies.