HIV/AIDS and "crosscutting priorities" join prevention and treatment as the four major goals outlined in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) new strategic plan, recently released in draft form.

Citing "recent revolutionary advances in drug abuse research," NIDA has been working with its national advisory council and others in the addiction research field to develop the plan, the agency's first major new outline of goals and objectives since former director Alan Leshner, Ph.D., published a five-year strategic plan in 2000.

The new strategic plan for NIDA, which spends more than $1 billion annually on research into illicit drugs, includes:

Prevention: to prevent the initiation of drug use and the escalation to addiction in those who have already initiated use. "A major focus of our efforts will be the determined pursuit of why some people get addicted while others do not," according to NIDA. "To that end, we will support research that strives to identify the factors that put people at increased risk of drug abuse or protect them from it." 

Broad prevention objectives will include:

• identifying the characteristics and patterns of drug abuse
• understanding how genes, environment, and development influence the various risk and protective factors for drug abuse
• enlarging understanding of basic neurobiology as it relates to the brain circuitry underlying drug abuse and addiction
• using this knowledge to develop more effective strategies to prevent the initiation of drug use and the continued abuse that can lead to addiction

Treatment: to support research to develop successful treatments for drug abuse and addiction, and to improve their accessibility and implementation, using a "whole systems" approach. Goals include:

• developing effective medications and behavioral interventions to treat drug abuse/addiction and to prevent relapse
• supporting the design of treatments that target specific aspects of drug abuse and addiction, including an addicted person's changing needs over time
• developing treatments for abuse/addiction in association with comorbid conditions
• developing the knowledge that will lead to personalized or customized treatments
• translating research-based treatments to the community

HIV/AIDS: to support research that seeks to diminish the spread of HIV among drug abusers and their partners, and minimize the associated health and social consequences of the disease. "We plan to continue to support primary prevention research to find the most effective HIV risk-reduction interventions for different populations," according to the draft strategic plan. "Young people are a major focus for these efforts, calling for strategies that start early and can adapt with age."

Proposed HIV/AIDS objectives include:

• supporting research to better understand the etiology, pathogenesis, and spread of HIV/AIDS among drug abusing populations
• preventing the acquisition (primary prevention) and transmission (secondary prevention) of HIV among drug abusers and their partners
• decreasing the health disparities associated with HIV/AIDS
• supporting international research on the intertwined epidemics of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS
• improving HIV treatment and outcomes in drug abusers through a better understanding of interactions with drugs of abuse, HIV/AIDS disease processes, and the medications used to treat both

Under the catchall of "crosscutting priorities" outlined in the draft, NIDA intends to work toward:

• decreasing health disparities related to drug addiction and its consequences
• ensuring a diverse and highly trained workforce able to assume leadership roles in the research agenda on substance abuse and related disorders
• promoting collaborative international research activities, including training and dissemination of science-based information on drug abuse
• promoting a more rapid translation of research findings into clinical application and practice
• educating a variety of audiences (e.g., children, parents, teachers, media, legislators, and others) about the science underlying drug abuse
• leveraging NIDA resources across the entire National Institutes of Health research community to expand our knowledge base and increase awareness of the import of drug abuse on other health issues

A PDF of the full Draft Strategic Plan can be found on the NIDA website.

NIDA is accepting public comments on the draft strategic plan through Feb. 6. Comments may be mailed to National Institute on Drug Abuse, Attn: Draft Strategic Plan, 6001 Executive Blvd., Suite 5213, MSC 9561, Bethesda, MD 20892-9561 or e-mailed to stratplan@nida.nih.gov.