Jung recently received the New Investigator Award from the Department of Defense, Gulf War Illness Research Program for his study of "Cannabidiol as a Novel Therapeutic for Gulf War Illness."
Nearly one-third of the 700,000 U.S. Veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War returned from duty with a chronic multi-symptom disorder, termed Gulf War Illness (GWI). Among the many problems associated with GWI – fatigue, chronic pain, headaches – impairment in brain function is of particular concern. GWI remains difficult to diagnose and, unfortunately, treatment is still lacking.
This award is to test whether this serious problem may have been initiated from the exposure to the Gulf War-related chemicals and stress that produced lasting deficits in the endocannabinoid (ECB) system, which is an anti-inflammatory neuroprotective mechanism of the brain.
In addition, Dr. Jung and colleagues will determine whether pharmacological enhancement of ECB signaling through chronic administration of cannabidiol (CBD) alleviates GWI pathology in rodent models. This study will serve as a starting point to discover novel therapeutics for GWI, and it will make a strong clinical impact by setting the scientific basis for developing CBD as a prescription medicine for GWI in order to improve health and quality of life for Veterans with GWI.
This is a three year research grant with the total cost of $717,555. Dr. Daniele Piomelli from the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at UCI School of Medicine, and Dr. Ting-Ting Huang from Stanford University, will serve as a co-investigator and a subcontract collaborator, respectively.