Meet the woman leading Temple University's Center for Substance Abuse Research

    PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) -- The substance abuse research team at Temple University is dedicated to combating the addiction epidemic by developing a new type of pain medication.

Dr. Anjali Rajadhyaksha is the director of the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. It's a long title for a neuroscientist with a big mission of revolutionizing pain treatment.

"We found a molecule in the brain and pathways in the brain that are very specific for how opioids cause dependence or addiction," Rajadhyaksha said. "It's a complex disorder, and we really need to understand how these drugs actually affect the brain for us to be able to develop new treatments. So that's the primary focus of all the faculty at the center."

The research in her lab is focused on shutting down the pathway that makes narcotics addictive, paving the way for the creation of a new kind of drug.

"Where the opioids are still effective at pain management, but they don't cause dependence," Rajadhyaksha said.

It's a lofty goal, but Rajadhyaksha is excited about the challenge and collaborating with her colleagues at Temple.

"We really have the next generation of scientists right here on one floor," Rajadhyaksha said.

It's her lifelong dream to be immersed in the world of research but there was a competing interest.

"I love science, I also love music so I didn't know whether I was going to become a musician. I love rock and roll or whether I'd go, you know go towards science," Rajadhyaksha said.

Her mother, who is also a PhD, inspired her to follow a career in science.

"Education has been a huge, center, a core of my career all along so that really drives me in teaching the next generation of scientists," Rajadhyaksha said.

With her family of fellow scientists at Temple, they're on a mission to find a way to curb the addiction epidemic that has cost so many lives.

"I really feel so hopeful every time I come to work because of the people here. It's really exciting, it's really energizing. I feel the energy," Dr. Rajadhyaksha said.

At the center, it's about finding solutions one research project at a time.