NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism plans to provide funding to start a DNA repository to support a research effort that is seeking genes related to alcoholism.
NIAAA said in a notice this week that it expects to publish a funding opportunity announcement to support the infrastructure needed to house and manage high-quality DNA collected through the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III program.
The DNA repository will receive samples, conduct DNA extraction and quality control tasks, handle genotyping for ancestry markers, and store and distribute DNA samples to a sequencing lab.
NIAAA plans to seek applicants specializing in molecular biology with a primary focus on extraction of high-quality DNA and genotyping for contamination detection and ancestry markers.
An NIAAA research team recently reported that a genetic variant of a brain receptor molecule may contribute to violently impulsive behavior when people who carry the variant are under the influence of alcohol. Another NIAAA study recently showed that the effectiveness of one treatment for alcoholism depends on the patients' genetic make-up.
The institute plans to publish a funding announcement for the DNA repository in early spring.