Recommended

Discover how to overcome low affinity or poor TCR yields that are slowing you down in this upcoming webinar – register your details today
Facing roadblocks in obesity drug discovery? Discover how integrated, validated strategies are helping teams accelerate development and reduce risk – register your details now
Unlock the science, strategy and real-world impact behind the next generation of precision therapies – access our new brand report now >>
Safety data is no longer just a regulatory checkbox – it’s a strategic advantage. Find out more in our upcoming webinar, register your details today
Explore how AI is reshaping early drug discovery, from target identification and compound screening to predictive modelling and trial design – register now!
news

G-CSF protein involved in cocaine addiction

Researchers have identified a protein produced by the immune system that could be responsible for the development of cocaine addiction…

G-CSF protein

Researchers have identified a protein produced by the immune system–granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)–that could be responsible for the development of cocaine addiction.

A study showed that G-CSF can alter a mouse’s desire for cocaine, but not for other rewards. This effect is modulated by a brain region that plays a central role in reward processing and addiction. If applicable to humans, these findings represent a potential therapeutic approach to decrease a cocaine addict’s motivation to seek the drug without introducing a potential new substance for abuse.

Previous research has demonstrated a link between cocaine use and the immune system in humans and animals, with addicts showing altered immune responses to drugs and drug cues. In this study, the research team identified G-CSF–a cytokine produced by immune cells which was expressed at higher levels in both the blood and brain in mice that were treated with repeated doses of cocaine –. Injecting G-CSF into the nucleus accumbens, a brain region associated with reward, causes mice to take more cocaine but does not change their motivation to consume a more natural reward, sugar water. Conversely, injecting an antibody that neutralises G-CSF in the nucleus accumbens can reduce the mouse’s motivation to take cocaine. Taken together, the results from this study suggest that manipulating G-CSF in the reward centre of the brain changes the biochemical signals that push animals to take cocaine.

 

Reserve your FREE place

 


Are low affinity or poor TCR yields slowing you down?

Explore how CHO expression of soluble TCRs and TCR affinity maturation workflows via phage, serving as essential building blocks for early-stage TCR-TCE candidate generation.

22 October 2025 | 16:00 PM BST | FREE Webinar

Join Jiansheng Wu, Ph.D. to explore two integrated strategies:

  • High-titer CHO-based expression of sTCRs (~100 mg/L), enabling scalable and high-throughput production
  • Optimized phage display affinity maturation, improving TCR binding by up to ~10,000-fold

Whether you’re starting a new TCR program or optimizing an existing platform, this session will offer actionable strategies to accelerate discovery and improve candidate quality.

Register Now – It’s Free!

 

“The results of this study are exciting because outside of 12-step programs and psychotherapy, no medication-assisted therapy exists to treat cocaine addiction,” said the study’s senior author, Dr Drew Kiraly, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Drugs that manipulate G-CSF already exist as FDA-approved medications. Once we clarify how G-CSF signalling can best be targeted to reduce addiction-like behaviours, there is a high possibility that treatments targeting G-CSF could be translated into clinical trials and treatments for patients.”

The results of the study will be published online in Nature Communications.