Contact

Department

Pharmacology

Gregory Collins, Ph.D

Associate Professor of Pharmacology

Personal Statement:

Research in my laboratory is broadly focused on understanding the determinants of drug reinforcement as well drug-drug interactions between the abuse-related and toxic effects of commonly co-used drugs with the ultimate goal of developing novel pharmacological and behavioral approaches to treat (poly)substance use disorders. We utilize a wide variety of behavioral (e.g., intravenous self-administration, drug discrimination, and directly observable behaviors) and physiologic (e.g., implantable telemetry and collar-based pulse oximetry) techniques and apply highly quantitative analyses to define interactions between various abuse-related and cardiorespiratory effects of commonly co-used drugs (e.g., fentanyl and methamphetamine). In addition to evaluating candidate medications to reduce drug taking or reverse overdose-like effects, we are also working to develop novel, polypharmacy approaches as broad spectrum treatments for (poly)substance use disorders more generally.

Research

• behavioral pharmacology • dopamine systems
• synthetic cathinones • self-administration
• drug discrimination • substance use disorders

 

RESEARCH GRANTS

Preclinical Psychopharmacology of Substance Abuse

Bath Salts: abuse-related and toxic effects

Repurposing drugs in mixtures to treat drug abuse

Awards & Accomplishments

Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (JPET): Top Performing Reviewer, 2024
JH Woods Early Career Award in Behavioral Pharmacology from ASPET, 2021
Best Young Investigator Award from the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR), 2018
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award, 2013

Affiliations

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) – Behavioral Pharmacology Division
Behavioral Pharmacology Society (BPS)
American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP)
College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD)
International Study Group Investigating Drugs as Reinforcers (ISGIDAR)

Lab Members

Christina George – Research Assistant, Senior
Gorana Puzovic – Graduate Research Assistant
Yonggong Shi – Research Associate
Simon Tangen – Graduate Research Assistant
Jacqueline Vazquez – Graduate Research Assistant

 

News

Lectures and Presentations

Quantitative models of polysubstance use. UT Health San Antonio, Center for Biomedical Neuroscience Annual Retreat – 2025

Behavioral pharmacology of polysubstance use. Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan – 2025

Interactions between the abuse-related and toxic effects of stimulants and opioids in rats. College on Problems of Drug Dependence Annual Meeting – 2024

Preclinical neuropsychopharmacology of polysubstance use disorders. Department of Pharmacology, Ningbo University, China – 2024

Evaluation of a polypharmacy approach targeting dopamine D3 and serotonin 2C receptors as a broad-spectrum strategy to reduce drug-taking behavior. Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch Meeting, NIDA-IRP – 2024

Behavioral pharmacology of polysubstance use disorders. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University – 2023

Behavioral pharmacology of polysubstance use involving opioids and stimulants. American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Annual Meeting – 2023

Behavioral pharmacology of polysubstance use. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University at Buffalo – 2022

Cardiovascular complications of (poly)substance abuse. Louisiana State University Health Science Center at Shreveport, Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences Seminar Series – 2020

Methamphetamine-opioid interactions: Implications for cardiovascular function. National Institute on Drug Abuse Workshop on Methamphetamine-Opioid Drug-Drug Interactions – 2019

A reverse translational approach to developing broad-spectrum treatments for substance use disorder. Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (CIDD) San Antonio Drug Discovery Symposium – 2019

Abuse-related effects of MDPV, α-PVP, and related synthetic cathinones: structural determinants of reinforcing potency and effectiveness. World Congress of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology – 2018

Abuse-related effects of synthetic cathinones and “bath salts” mixtures. University of Michigan, Interdepartmental Drugs of Abuse Seminar Series – 2018

Reinforcing effects of novel synthetic cathinones and their mixtures. Symposium: “Bath Salts”: the ever-changing landscape of synthetic cathinones – ASPET Annual Meeting – 2018

Abuse-related effects of synthetic cathinones and “bath salts” mixtures. National Institutes on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program Seminar Series – 2018