Cocaine BioBank
We provide a comprehensive biological tissue bank originating from outbred rats (Heterogeneous Stock rats) that have been characterized as vulnerable or resistant to cocaine addiction.
Samples are available on a cost-recovery basis for nonprofit institutions and include a complete behavioral and genetic analysis.
The Cocaine BioBank bank includes:
whole brains, brain regions, heart, kidney, liver, spleen, ovary, testis, adrenals, feces, colon, urine, blood samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Additional organs may be requested.
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Samples are available under three different conditions to maximize compatibility with a wide range of applications, including the generation of iPSC lines (slow freezing/LN2), histology/neuroanatomy (perfused), and molecular biology (snap-frozen).
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Samples are available at three time points:
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Before exposure to cocaine (urine, feces, blood)
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After cocaine Intoxication: after 3h of cocaine self-administration.
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Acute withdrawal (18 h)
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Protracted abstinence (~4-5 weeks)
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Behavioral and Genetic Analysis
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We provide comprehensive behavioral and genetic analysis of rats with a history of chronic cocaine use based on state-of-the-art techniques.
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The goal of our consortium is to identify gene variants that are associated with increased vulnerability to compulsive cocaine use by performing Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) in behaviorally characterized rats.
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The strategy is to generate new data in rats by establishing a large behavioral screening program using standard operating procedures aimed at reducing nonspecific behavioral variability associated with differences in operant training, learning, drug priming, stress, food restriction, and circadian cycle.
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