Legacy Research Institute

Adie Rae (Wilson-Poe), Ph.D.

Assistant Scientist
R.S. Dow Neuroscience Laboratories

LinkedIn | Peer reviewed publications
R.S. Dow Neuroscience Laboratories
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6304-5295

Short Bio:

Dr. Wilson-Poe received her BS in Psychology and her PhD in Neuroscience from Washington State University, where she focused on the pain-relieving properties of opioids and cannabinoids. Adie followed up on this training by taking a post-doctoral position at Sydney University in Australia, where she was awarded a National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to study the synaptic physiology of cannabinoids and opioids.

Dr. Wilson-Poe continued her post-doctoral training at Columbia University, where she broadened her expertise to include the dynamic interaction between drug abuse and chronic pain. As a junior faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis, Adie was awarded a prestigious Pathway to Independence Award from NIDA, which integrates all previous facets of her work.

Adie joined Legacy Research Institute in June of 2019, and she currently utilizes translational and clinical research approaches to further characterize the analgesic and harm-reducing properties of cannabis, in the context of opioid use.

Research Interests:

• Clinically-relevant cannabis research
• Harm reduction
• Cannabis as a first-line analgesic
• Safety and quality of supervised psilocybin services

Publication Highlights:

The Nose Knows: Aroma, but Not THC Mediates the Subjective Effects of Smoked and Vaporized Cannabis Flower
Plumb, J.; Demirel, S.; Sackett, J.L.; Russo, E.B.; Wilson-Poe, A.R.
Psychoactives (2022) 1102(3) 564-573
https://www.mdpi.com/2813-1851/1/2/8

Perceived Efficacy, Reduced Prescription Drug Use, and Minimal Side Effects of Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Orthopedic Pain
Massaly, N., Copits, B., Greis A, Larsen E, Liu C, Renslo B, Radakrishnan A, Wilson-Poe AR.
Cannabinoid Res (2022) Dec;7(6):865-875
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9784606/

Pain-Induced Negative Affect Is Mediated Via Recruitment Of The Nucleus Accumbens Kappa Opioid System
Massaly, N., Copits, B., Wilson-Poe, A.R., Hipolito, L., Al-Hasani, R., Walker, B., Cahill, C., Bruchas, M., & Moron, J.A.
Neuron (2019) 102(3) 564-573
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30878290

Emerging Evidence for Cannabis' Role in Opioid Use Disorder
Wiese, B., & Wilson-Poe A.R.
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (2018) Sep 1;3(1): 179-189.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30221197

Research Focus:

The central hypothesis of Dr. Wilson-Poe’s work is that cannabis and cannabinoids can be leveraged for their pain-relieving and harm-reducing properties, to reduce societal dependence upon opioids. Dr. Wilson-Poe’s early work was focused on the mechanisms of cannabinoid/opioid analgesia, with her first grant from WSU’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Program in 2004. This funding opportunity fueled all of her subsequent studies (ranging from synaptic physiology to in-vivo opto- and chemo-genetic modulation of behavior), which have been consistently funded by NIDA. Dr. Wilson-Poe’s long-term research goal is to bridge the gap between preclinical cannabinoid pharmacology and clinical cannabis medicine by using translational approaches. In support of this goal, Adie has several ongoing research tracks:

Combined Buprenorphine and Cannabis for Pain
Supported by the Good Samaritan Foundation of Legacy Health, these studies will to determine the effectiveness of combined cannabis and buprenorphine (Suboxone) to treat chronic pain. Pilot studies in rodents will inform subsequent clinical studies, in collaboration with the Legacy Good Samaritan pain clinic.

Measuring Cannabis Use in Medical Patients
In collaboration with Dr. Ari Greis of Thomas Jefferson University, Rothman Orthopaedics, and the Lambert Center for the Study of Medical Cannabis, Dr. Wilson-Poe is validating a novel inventory to measure the medically-relevant aspects of cannabis use in chronic pain patients.

Measuring the Safety, Effectiveness, and Equity of Supervised Psilocybin Services
In collaboration with Oregon Health & Sciences University, Dr. Wilson-Poe is developing a novel set of core measures to assess the quality of supervised psilocybin services. Data generated by deploying these core measures in a community-based research network will be used for program evaluation of Measure 109 (Oregon), and quality improvement.

The Impact of Adult-Use Cannabis Legislation on Patient Wellbeing
Anecdotal reports suggest that the commercial forces accompanying adult-use cannabis legislation have negatively impacted patient access to effective cannabis therapies. However, the magnitude of these issues has not been characterized. These studies are conducted in collaboration with Drs. Kevin Boehnke and Daniel Kruger at the University of Michigan Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center.

Safety of Vaporizer Cartridge Diluents
The mechanisms of pulmonary injury associated with e-cigarette use, also known as vape-related illness, are unknown. These studies, conducted in collaboration with Portland State University, assess the relative safety and toxic degradative products produced by various additives found in illicit and commercially-available vaporizer cartridges.