Addiction Treatment at Mayo Clinic

Research

Genomics of Addiction

Mayo Clinic patients have the opportunity to participate in a cutting-edge research program on addiction genomics. Mayo established the Samuel C. Johnson Genomics of Addiction Program with the goal of preventing addiction to alcohol and other drugs, as well as developing more effective addiction therapies. Researchers in this program are studying how genetic makeup affects vulnerability to addiction, as well as how people respond to different treatments.

Mayo researchers have developed a new electronic clinical database that captures key clinical characteristics of all patients with addictions at Mayo Clinic, as well as a DNA repository for patients with addictions. This will be an invaluable resource in addressing what genetic factors affect addiction and response to treatment.

While the most common addiction treated at Mayo Clinic is alcoholism, the implications of these genomic studies extend to the treatment of nicotine dependence, the abuse of recreational drugs, and addictions to prescribed narcotics.