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ARC funding renewed MUSC has been awarded an $8.9 million competitive renewal from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to continue funding the university's Alcohol Research Center (ARC).    The ARC was created in 1995 with an initial NIAAA grant of $8.5 million. There are only 14 centers in the nation, and competition is always very keen from outstanding universities around the country, according to Carrie Randall, Ph.D., director of the MUSC ARC. The MUSC program is unique among the group as it is the only one emphasizing treatment.     “We believe that alcoholism has a biological basis in the brain,” said Randall. “Our philosophy is that alcohol consumption, compulsive use, withdrawal and relapse are associated with brain dysfunction.”      ARC researchers are studying these dysfunctions both in animals and humans and are working on the identification, development and testing of medication treatments.        The center is also studying the relationship between alcoholism and other psychiatric disorders which are also related to central nervous system dysfunction. This is an important area of research according to Randall, since 40 to 60 percent of alcoholics also suffer from other psychiatric disorders.     Ray Anton, M.D., scientific director of the project, attributes the successful renewal of the grant to the substantial progress made during the initial five years. He said an infrastructure has been developed that is conducive to productive research. This, in turn, has spurred and facilitated alcohol research at MUSC which has resulted in an additional 29 grants that have received funding to support alcoholism research.    In addition, the ARC has attracted new alcohol researchers who have brought creative ideas and expertise as well as external sources of funding. There has also been an increase in interdisciplinary research with additional investigators being drawn into the center's activities from other areas of the university. In addition, he said, the center has also had a very successful outreach component, where expertise garnered in treatment approaches is shared with caregivers outside the university setting in formal educational presentations.    Anton also said that the center has gained a great deal of attention in scientific circles as a result of the integration of its clinical and basic science work. There are several research projects where animal model studies allow investigators to understand the basic underlying mechanisms of how alcohol affects the brain and how to reverse those effects with medication. At the same time clinical researchers are looking at the effectiveness of these same medications in treating patients.  Editor's Note: In subsequent editions, The Catalyst will report on the various research projects that have been undertaken by the ARC.