Exploring GLP-1 Agonists as Candidate Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder
Joseph Schacht
Associate Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine
This presentation will summarize previous and ongoing preclinical and clinical research that seeks to develop glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists as medications to treat Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). I will also discuss my current NIH-funded randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oral semaglutide for AUD.
Dr. Joseph Schacht is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Addiction Science, Prevention, and Treatment of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he directs the Translational Addiction Imaging Laboratory. He received his AB in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Michigan and his PhD in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Boulder, after completing his predoctoral internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Dr. Schacht subsequently completed an NIAAA-funded post-doctoral fellowship at MUSC.
Dr. Schacht’s training and research experience encompass both basic and clinical neuroscience, and he has built a program of research that translates from basic neurobiological processes to behavioral and treatment outcomes. His work has been funded by NIAAA, NIDA, and industry, and he has been continuously NIH-funded for over 18 years. He is particularly known for using behavioral genetics, functional neuroimaging, and experimental pharmacology to understand alcohol and drug craving and cue reactivity. His current work uses these methods to evaluate novel medications for the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder.