Cincinnati.com: Study involving UC could help ID genetic markers for opioid addiction
UC expert leads research that is among the first to examine ways of preventing opioid use disorder
Caroline Freiermuth, MD, of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UC College of Medicine, is featured in a story published on Cincinnati.com on research she is leading that hopes to identify potential genetic factors in opioid addition. The research, funded by the Ohio Attorney General's office, is among the first to examine the pharmacogenomics of opioid addiction.
Pharmacogenomics, a relatively new field, is the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs.
A patient volunteering for the pharmacogenomics study is swabbed at the UC Department of Emergency Medicine. Photo credit/Jonathan Quilter/Ohio Attorney General's Office
"We don't know who will be harmed by opioids," Freiermuth said in a YouTube video outlining the research project. "We know … there's a genetic link to many substance use disorders." She and others from UC and Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center hope to zero in on the genetic identifiers of opioid addiction.
The researchers are recruiting patients from emergency departments who have the chronic health disorder and patients who do not have the condition. Freiermuth, who started the work in May, said she's had a great response from patients at the UC Medical Center. UCMC has now reached the initial milestone of 100 patients enrolled.
Read the full story here and find out more about the research here.
Lead image/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, read more #UCtheGood content, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Related Stories
Ohio looks to fast-track wastewater discharge permits
December 16, 2025
Bradford Mank, James B. Helmer Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati, spoke with WVXU for a story about a proposal by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to streamline the way wastewater discharge permits are issued to data centers.
Tariff troubles for online shoppers
December 16, 2025
This year’s new regulations on tariffs and customs are leaving holiday shoppers with unexpected fees on some of their purchases, according to recent reporting by WLWT. Associate Dean of Impact and Partnerships for the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business Charles Sox spoke to WLWT about why shoppers are only just now feeling the impact, despite these policies being in effect for months.
Tips to avoid headaches this holiday season
December 15, 2025
A University of Cincinnati migraine expert offered a list of potential headache triggers around the holidays, and how you can try to avoid them, to 91.7 WVXU News. "There are a number of different factors that make this a very headache provocative time," said Vincent Martin, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the Gardner Neuroscience Institute.