Antonello Bonci, M.D. has been appointed the Scientific Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Intramural Research Program in Baltimore. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Bonci is known for his studies on the long-term effects of drug exposure on the brain. Dr. Bonci and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate that drugs like cocaine modify the strength of connections between neurons. This development was definitive in learning about drug addiction.
"We think Dr. Bonci will bring tremendous strength to our already robust intramural research portfolio," said National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "His impressive background as a superb neuroscientist with strong clinical training brings NIDA an exceptional investigator, committed to translational science, and will bring us closer to new and better medicines for the the treatment of addiction."
Dr. Bonci said the he is "thrilled to be part of the one of the world’s most important scientific organizations looking at the challenging problem of drug abuse and addiction."
The mission of the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is to do research on basic mechanisms and to develop new methods for the treatment of drug abuse and addiction. The long-term research goal of the program is to better understand the biological and behavioral factors that contribute to the initiation, maintenance, and elimination of drug abuse and addiction. The program also trains and develops investigators in basic and clinical sciences related to drug abuse research.
