A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Develop a Social Risk Screening Protocol, Tailored to the Needs of Pregnant and Postpartum People in Metro Atlanta.

Substance use disorders (SUDs), including alcohol and drug addiction, are neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by compulsive substance use despite negative consequences []. These disorders affect millions of Americans, resulting in increased mortality, chronic illness, family disruption, and billions of dollars in societal costs each year [–]. According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among individuals aged 12 or older, 58.3% (~168 million people) reported use of tobacco, nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drugs in the past month, and 48.4 million met criteria for SUDs within the past year []. Despite advances in neuroscience and psychiatry, effective treatments for SUDs remain limited, and relapse rates are high. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 40%–60% of individuals in recovery experience relapse []. The complexity of neurobiological mechanisms underlying addictive behaviors poses significant challenges for research. Traditional models, including immortalized cell lines, animal models, and postmortem human brain tissue, have provided valuable insights into the molecular processes of addiction [, ]. Nevertheless, these models have limitations, often failing to recapitulate the intricate neural circuits and systemic interactions critical for human therapeutic development []. Recent advances in stem cell biology offer new opportunities to address these challenges. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can be differentiated into diverse neural and glial subtypes implicated in the addiction pathophysiology []. Unlike traditional models, stem cell‐derived systems allow for the investigation of human‐specific genetic contributions, cellular diversity, and the complex neural circuitry involved in addiction []. In addition, three‐dimensional (3D) brain organoids and engineered organoid‐on‐a‐chip platforms create physiologically relevant microenvironments that facilitate studies of cellular interactions, neural networks, and drug responses in vitro [–].