Overview

Expanded treatment options for opioid use disorder are needed to promote long-term recovery. The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is accelerating the development of treatments for all aspects of the opioid addiction cycle, including progression to chronic use, withdrawal symptoms, craving, relapse, and overdose.

Open Funding Opportunities

2022
Grand Opportunity in Medications Development for Substance-Use Disorders (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Sep 01, 2022
2022
Development of Medications to Prevent and Treat Opioid and/or Stimulant Use Disorders and Overdose (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Optional)
Sep 01, 2022
2022
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): HEAL Initiative: Grand Opportunity in Medications Development for Substance-Use Disorders
Sep 29, 2022
2022
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): HEAL Initiative: Development of Medications to Prevent and Treat Opioid and/or Stimulant Use Disorders and Overdose
Sep 28, 2022

Research Programs

The Development of Novel Immunotherapeutics for Opioid Addiction program is developing a coordinated, multidisciplinary consortium to develop anti-opioid vaccines and monoclonal antibodies and test them in clinical trials. These immunotherapies bind specifically to opioid targets, reducing their effects and offering protection from overdose.

The Focusing Medication Development to Prevent and Treat Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose program supports the development of new targets and formulations of existing medications to treat opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorders. This research also supports development of longer-duration formulations to counteract opioid overdose, interventions for respiratory depression, and novel medications to treat progression to chronic use, withdrawal, craving, and relapse.

Long-term use of oral formulations of buprenorphine has been reported to cause oral problems ranging from dental caries to tooth loss. The Oral Complications Arising From Pharmacotherapies to Treat Opioid Use Disorder program supports basic research to understand how these problems arise. Clinical studies will also test how often and how quickly buprenorphine causes or worsens oral problems, as well as determine which other factors affect oral health in people taking buprenorphine.

The opioid crisis is constantly evolving: New and increasingly dangerous drugs are entering the supply. The Rapidly Assessing the Public Health Impact of Emerging Opioid Threats program supports research to develop and distribute validated analytical methods to detect emerging drug threats in clinical and forensic settings. These tools can be used to isolate drug use patterns so first responders can offer help.

Funded Projects

2023
Development and Validation of a Novel Point-of-Care Technology for Rapid Non-Targeted Identification of Emerging Opioid and Other Drug Threats
Nov 28, 2023
2023
Oral Complications From Sublingual Buprenorphine Treatment: A Prospective Cohort Study
Nov 28, 2023
2023
Antibody-based therapy for fentanyl-related opioid use disorder
Nov 28, 2023
2023
Elucidating High Oral Fluid Exposure Mechanisms of Buprenorphine to Reduce Dental Caries
Nov 28, 2023
2023
Understanding the Association Between Sublingual Buprenorphine and Oral Health Outcomes
Nov 28, 2023

Closed Funding Opportunities

2021
HEAL initiative: Pharmacotherapies to Reverse Opioid Overdose Induced Respiratory Depression Without Central Opioid Withdrawal (Target Validation and Candidate Therapeutic Development) (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
Sep 30, 2021
2021
HEAL Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Jul 06, 2021
2021
HEAL Initiative: Novel Targets for Opioid Use Disorders and Opioid Overdose (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Jul 06, 2021
2020
HEAL Initiative: Pharmacotherapies to Reverse Opioid Overdose Induced Respiratory Depression without Central Opioid Withdrawal (Target Validation and Candidate Therapeutic Development (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Jan 24, 2020
2019
NIDA Translational Avant-Garde Award for Development of Medication to Treat Substance Use Disorders (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
Sep 25, 2019