Funded Projects

Explore our currently funded projects. You may search with all three fields, then focus your results by applying any of the dropdown filters. After customizing your search, you may download results and even save your specific search for later.

Project # Project Title Sort ascending Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Institution(s) Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
1U24DA057612-01
WF DISC: Navigating Data Solutions for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Translating Data 2 Action to Prevent Overdose NIDA WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES ADAMS, MEREDITH C B Winston-Salem, NC 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Data Infrastructure Support Center (U24 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-052
Summary:

This project creates the HEAL Data2Action Data Infrastructure Support Center that will conduct research as well as support the HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects with analytics and support for navigating electronic health records and other “big data” sources, as well as logistical processes related to privacy and ethics. The center will help plan for data collection and assessing outcomes, as well as provide data visualization efforts for various stakeholders. Key support mechanisms include courses, seminars, conferences, trainings, and on-demand technical assistance.

1R01DA057658-01
Weighting Longitudinal Data to Access Opioid Analgesia Tapering Outcomes Among Patients with Co-Occurring Chronic Pain and Substance Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIDA LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO QEADAN, FARES Maywood, IL 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Data and Methods to Address Urgent Needs to Stem the Opioid Epidemic (R01- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-044
Summary:

Guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016 recommended gradual reductions in opioid medication doses (opioid tapering) for people with chronic pain and substance use disorder and recommended that those patients with pain and opioid use disorder should be switched to opioid use disorder medications. Despite wide implementation, little is known about the consequences of opioid tapering among patients with co-occurring chronic pain and substance use disorder. This project will use various databases (Cerner Real-World DataTM, American Hospital Association data, and U.S. Census data) to create a representative electronic health records database. This database will be used to determine the relationship between opioid tapering, multidisciplinary pain treatment, and medications for opioid use disorder – as well as monitor outcomes for patients with chronic pain and co-occurring substance use disorder.

2R44DA051289-02
Wearable Sensor for Opioids Detection Based on Electrochemical Sensor Array Integrated with Bluetooth Device Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA EMITECH, INC. LEVITSKY, IGOR A Fall River, MA 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

This project will develop and refine a wearable device (forearm bracelet) designed to rapidly sense and report the presence of opioids in the wearer. This research will optimize this device to provide ultra-high sensitivity, enhanced drug specificity, long-term durability, low power consumption, and cost-effective production. The findings could support a path toward commercialization of this new device.

3R24DA055306-01S1
Wake Forest IMPOWR Dissemination Education and Coordination Center (IDEA-CC) Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIDA WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES ADAMS, MEREDITH C B Winston-Salem, NC 2022
NOFO Title: Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: PA-20-272
Summary:

This research provides support to strengthen data management, data sharing, and data readiness efforts within the HEAL Initiative. This support further fosters collaboration among HEAL awardees and enables maximal data discoverability, interoperability, and reuse by aligning with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. It also provides an opportunity for existing HEAL Initiative award recipients to increase data “FAIR”-ness, participate in coordinated HEAL Initiative activities to build community around data sharing, and foster sustainability of HEAL Initiative digital assets.

R41DA055405-01
Virtual Reality Facilitation of Recovery from Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Relate XR LLC OBERLIN, BRANDON G (contact); NELSON, ANDREW Indianapolis, IN 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-020
Summary:

Relapse is common in people with opioid use disorder, and recovery attempts often fail within 6 months. This research project will test a novel virtual reality intervention to improve recovery outcomes for people recovering from opioid use disorder. By increasing future orientation and delay-of-reward behavior with a precision medicine personalized experience, the intervention is designed to enhance advantageous decision-making and increase positive future outcomes. The results of this study will provide critical data for creating a commercially viable software product for facilitating relapse prevention and improving opioid use disorder recovery outcomes.

2R44DA049640-02
Virtual Reality as a Opioid Sparing Intervention for Acute Postoperative Pain Management Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA APPLIEDVR, INC MADDOX, WILLIAM TODD (contact); AYAD, SABRY ; SUK, MICHAEL Los Angeles, CA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Millions of Americans undergo surgery each year, with fewer than half of patients reporting adequate postoperative pain relief and approximately 75 percent reporting moderate to severe postoperative pain. Gaps in postoperative pain management that lead to the unnecessary introduction and over-prescription of opioids continue to exacerbate the opioid crisis, but virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to be an effective strategy for pain management. This project will enhance and improve the functionality of a VR-based technology, AppliedVR, to provide acute perioperative pain management through a new software-based VR medical device, RelieVRx™. As a non-opioid alternative intended to reduce postoperative pain, RelieVRx can potentially reduce the need for and utilization of opioids in the postoperative setting.

3R01DE029202-01S2
Validation of Blocking TSP4/Cava2d1 Interaction as a New Target for Neuropathic Pain Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIDCR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE LUO, ZHIGANG DAVID Irvine, CA 2022
NOFO Title: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Availability of Administrative Supplements for Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative awardees to make data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) through the HEAL Data Ecosystem
NOFO Number: NOT-OD-22-033
Summary:

This research provides support to strengthen data management, data sharing, and data readiness efforts within the HEAL Initiative. This support further fosters collaboration among HEAL awardees and enables maximal data discoverability, interoperability, and reuse by aligning with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. It also provides an opportunity for existing HEAL Initiative award recipients to increase data “FAIR”-ness, participate in coordinated HEAL Initiative activities to build community around data sharing, and foster sustainability of HEAL Initiative digital assets.

3R01DE029202-01S4
Validation of Blocking TSP4/Cava2d1 Interaction as a New Target for Neuropathic Pain Cross-Cutting Research Training the Next Generation of Researchers in HEAL NIDCR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE LUO, ZHIGANG DAVID Irvine, CA 2022
NOFO Title: NOT-NS-20-107; PA-21-071
NOFO Number: Notice of Special Interest to Encourage Eligible NIH HEAL Initiative Awardees to Apply for PA-20-222: Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research (Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Summary:

An important step for identifying new, non-addictive chronic pain treatments is the search for new, non-opioid molecular targets that reflect the human condition. Recent findings show an increase in levels of two proteins (calcium channel alpha-2delta-1 subunit and thrombospondin) in sensory and spinal cord neurons after nerve injury. This increase is associated with the development of neuropathic pain. This project will determine if chronic injury to key nerve fibers involved in pain cause changes in rat behavior that indicate altered mood. These nerve fibers include the trigeminal nerve that communicates pain, touch, and temperature sensations from the face to the brain and the L5/6 spinal nerves often associated with back and leg pain. This research will also test whether small protein-like molecules (peptides) that block calcium channel alpha-2delta-1 subunit and thrombospondin also block the mood-related behaviors.

1R43NR017575-01A1
Using Virtual Reality Psychological Therapy to Develop a Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Therapy Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NINR COGNIFISENSE, INC. BAEUERLE, TASSILO; CEKO, MARTA ; WEBSTER, LYNN Sunnyvale, CA 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2017-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44])
NOFO Number: PA-17-302
Summary:

Chronic pain affects over 100 million Americans, costing society about $600 billion annually. Despite numerous pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, over 50% of chronic pain sufferers feel little control over their pain. CognifiSense has developed a patent-pending Virtual Reality Psychological Therapy (VRPT), which is designed to create lasting reduction of chronic pain by addressing the maladaptive learning processes driving pain chronification. VRPT is an experiential learning system, which provides the brain a new set of signals that teaches it that the pain is not as bad as it perceived and that it has greater control over the pain than it perceived. VRPT combines the immersive power and the ability to individualize the therapy of Virtual Reality with well-researched principles of self-distancing, self-efficacy, and extinction to retrain the brain. The goal of this study is to determine the clinical feasibility of VRPT in achieving a lasting reduction of chronic pain, establish brain mechanisms associated with treatment response, and collect comprehensive user feedback to enable further refinement of the current product prototype. CognifiSense's VRPT has the potential to be a significant clinical and business opportunity in the treatment of chronic pain.

1R61DA057675-01
Using System Dynamics Modeling to Foster Real-Time Connections to Care Cross-Cutting Research Translating Data 2 Action to Prevent Overdose NIDA YALE UNIVERSITY HECKMANN, REBEKAH (contact); S SABOUNCHI, NASIM New Haven, CT 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051
Summary:

First responders prevent many overdose deaths by providing life-saving resuscitation and giving naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose. This project will use a modeling approach to assess the impact of Good Samaritan Laws that protect people from certain criminal penalties if they call 911 to save an overdose victim by giving naloxone on overdose mortality. This research will develop and test a novel, scalable, telehealth platform that can be used at the time of an opioid overdose to link patients with access to medication for opioid use disorder, harm reduction services, and recovery support. The research will be informed by patient-outcome data.

1R21AG082344-01
Using Secondary Analyses to Test Novel Pathways Linking Family Stress and Pain Incidence and Persistence Among African Americans Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIA UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER WOODS, SARAH B Dallas, TX 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data Related to Acute and Chronic Pain Development or Managementin Humans (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DE-22-011
Summary:

Chronic pain is a persistent source of disability and reduced quality of life for aging adults. Chronic pain-related outcomes are disproportionately worse for aging African Americans, who report greater pain severity and worse pain-related disability compared to White peers. A significant pain risk factor for African Americans is chronic stress (including family-related stress), which is worsened by structural inequities that affect this population. Although many African Americans identify family support as critical for pain self-management, this influence has not been studied thoroughly. This project will study how pain conditions develop and persist for aging African Americans by analyzing existing data from African American participants in two large aging studies: Midlife in the U.S. (721 participants) and the Health and Retirement Study (2,698 participants). The research aims to determine how family emotional climate affects pain risk, taking into account structural factors like discrimination, socioeconomic disparity, and the influence of various neighborhood settings.

1DP2NS130454-01
Using Mouse Pain Scales to Discover Unusual Pain Sensitivity and New Pain Targets Cross-Cutting Research Training the Next Generation of Researchers in HEAL NINDS COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE ABDUS-SABOOR, ISHMAIL JOHN New York, NY 2022
NOFO Title: Emergency Awards: HEAL Initiative- New Innovator Award (DP2 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-TR-22-013
Summary:

Acute and chronic pain vary widely across patients, due in large part to genetic differences between individuals. The same variation occurs in preclinical animal models with diverse genetic backgrounds. The development of automated mouse “pain scales” using high-speed videography, machine learning, and custom software allows pain to be assessed in a quantitative manner in nonverbal animals. This technology will be used to identify genetically different mice with high or low pain sensitivity, which will facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat pain and reduce reliance on opioids.

3U01DA050442-04S1
Using Implementation Interventions and Peer Recovery Support to Improve Opioid Treatment Outcomes in Community Supervision Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIDA BROWN UNIVERSITY MARTIN, ROSEMARIE A; BRINKLEY-RUBINSTEIN, LAUREN; ROHSENOW, DAMARIS J Providence, RI 2022
NOFO Title: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Availability of Administrative Supplements for Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative awardees to make data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) through the HEAL Data Ecosystem
NOFO Number: NOT-OD-22-110
Summary:

This research provides support to strengthen data management, data sharing, and data readiness efforts within the HEAL Initiative. This support further fosters collaboration among HEAL awardees and enables maximal data discoverability, interoperability, and reuse by aligning with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles. It also provides an opportunity for existing HEAL Initiative award recipients to increase data “FAIR”-ness, participate in coordinated HEAL Initiative activities to build community around data sharing, and foster sustainability of HEAL Initiative digital assets.

1R61DA057600-01
Using Data to Drive Action to Reduce Opioid Overdoses in Seattle, WA Cross-Cutting Research Translating Data 2 Action to Prevent Overdose NIDA UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BANTA-GREEN, CALEB (contact); HOOD, JULIA ELIZABETH Seattle, WA 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051
Summary:

This project will use a data-to-action framework to guide implementation of opioid use disorder treatment and harm reduction interventions based on rapid data analysis. It will leverage existing data systems such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) reports, mobile integrated health case management data, and medical examiner data for near real-time data analyses, visualization, and action planning. This research will collect a range of data (opioid treatment, use of acute care services, morbidity, mortality, incarceration, housing support, and cost benefits) from a sub-acute stabilization center for people at high risk for opioid overdose, including those who have recently overdosed and are referred and transported by EMS teams.

3U19AR076734-01S5
University of Michigan BACPAC Mechanistic Research Center Cross-Cutting Research Training the Next Generation of Researchers in HEAL NIAMS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CLAUW, DANIEL J; HASSETT, AFTON L Ann Arbor, MI 2022
NOFO Title: Notice of Special Interest to Encourage Eligible NIH HEAL Initiative Awardees to Apply for Administrative Supplements to Support Career Enhancement Related to Clinical Research on Pain (Admin Supp – Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: NOT-NS-22-087
Summary:

Many medication-based and complementary/integrative interventions are available to treat chronic low back pain, yet no treatment works for all patients. This clinical research strives to understand patient characteristics that predict differential responses to chronic low back pain interventions such as acupressure. This knowledge will enable early career researchers and clinicians to develop tailored treatments for individual patients.

1K12NS130673-01
University of Michigan (UM) HEAL Initiative National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Program (UM-HCPDP) Cross-Cutting Research Training the Next Generation of Researchers in HEAL NINDS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WILLIAMS, DAVID A (contact); CLAUW, DANIEL J; HARTE, STEVEN EDWARD Ann Arbor, MI 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: National K12 Clinical Pain Career Development Program (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-22-045
Summary:

The Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee has reported that early-stage investigators are leaving the clinical pain research workforce for other fields. In addition, pain clinician researchers at the senior/mentor level are also exiting the field. This project will create a national training center for early-career clinicians and scientists interested in pursuing and sustaining independent careers in clinical pain research. Research will focus on rigorous scientific methods and procedures in pain research as well as the importance of stakeholder engagement.

3UM1NS118922-03S2
Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain After Thoracic Surgery Cross-Cutting Research Increasing Participant Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement in HEAL Research NINDS UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BRUMMETT, CHAD M; CHANG, ANDREW CHING-HUNG; CLAUW, DANIEL J; WALJEE, JENNIFER FILIP Ann Arbor, MI 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) regarding the Availability of Administrative Supplements to Support Strategies to Increase Participant Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement in Clinical Studies
NOFO Number: NOT-NS-22-066
Summary:

Rigorous and impactful clinical pain research requires participant diversity that reflects the racial/ethnic diversity of affected populations. This project will enhance patient and other community engagement, particularly of underrepresented minorities, to participate in clinical research related to the transition of acute to chronic pain.

1R44DA050339-01
Transforming smartphones into active sonar systems to detect opioid overdose Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA SOUND LIFE SCIENCES, INC. GILLESPY, THURMAN (contact); GOLLAKOTA, SHYAMNATH ; SUNSHINE, JACOB Seattle, WA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Deaths from opioid overdose are highly preventable with early detection and administration of naloxone, but overdose victims often die because they are alone or among untrained or impaired bystanders and thus do not receive timely resuscitation. There is an urgent, unmet need for a low-barrier, easily scalable solution that can identify opioid overdoses in real time and rapidly connect victims to naloxone therapy. This proposal seeks to commercialize an innovative overdose detection software product that can be downloaded on any commodity smartphone and can detect opioid- induced respiratory failure (i.e., overdose) and summon help. The software-only product, SecondChance, converts a smartphone into a short-range active sonar system capable of monitoring breathing and detecting overdose.

1R43DA050360-01
Transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation for neonatal abstinence syndrome Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA SPARK BIOMEDICAL INC KHODAPARAST, NAVID (contact); JENKINS, DOROTHEA DENISE Friendswood, TX 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

As of 2012, an infant with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) was born every 25 minutes in the United States, accounting for more than $1.5 billion in national health care expenditures. These infants frequently require hospital stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with an average hospital stay of 25 days at an average treatment cost of $66,000. Treatment of NAS usually follows a multimodal regime based on drug therapy with an oral morphine solution, mostly in combination with a sedative, but there is a need for nonpharmacological approaches. This project will test a transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation device to help NAS babies recover from opioid withdrawal without harmful side effects. The non-invasive, auricular neurostimulation device will be placed around the ear (similar to a hearing aid), and stimulation will be delivered transcutaneously.

1R21DA057598-01
Tracking the Opioid Epidemic with Social Media: An Early Warning System Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NIDA STANFORD UNIVERSITY ALTMAN, RUSS BIAGIO Redwood City, CA 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Exploratory Data and Methods to Address Urgent Needs to Stem the Opioid Epidemic (R21- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-045
Summary:

A key component to addressing the current opioid overdose crisis is the ability to track dangerous opioid use in a timely manner so that public health agencies can plan accordingly. Direct reports about drug use and overdoses from social media might provide a useful early warning system that when combined with other sources, can provide policy makers and public health officials with powerful tools for monitoring this public health crisis. This project will explore the usefulness of Twitter and Reddit as a social media component of opioid use surveillance – in particular by monitoring mentions of fentanyl and synthetic opioids at various geographic levels (e.g., local or regional) and over time.

1R43DE029379-01
Therapeutic in Situ Analgesic Implant for improved Oral-Facial Post-Operative Pain Outcomes Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDCR EPIGEN BIOSCIENCES, INC. FRIEDMAN, CRAIG; CAUDLE, ROBERT M San Diego, CA 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2018-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: PA-18-574
Summary:

Analgesia for post-operative populations remains a significant health need that calls for innovative therapies which improve both safety and outcome measures. Recent FDA drug safety warnings and studies focusing on post-operative analgesia have highlighted the imperative need for new approaches that can be utilized for common clinical scenarios. Accordingly, novel treatment options that are safe and afford additional benefit in relief of pain are needed. In this proposal, the development of an innovative surgical sealant technology is proposed that functions at the level of the surgical wound bed and actively delivers local pharmacologic agents to therapeutically address post-operative pain. New formulations of several analgesic regimens will be assessed for their ability to seal wounds and provide appropriate pain management.

1R61DA059168-01
The Use of Novel Linked Databases to Reduce Postoperative Opioid Use Among Patients Undergoing Inpatient Surgery Cross-Cutting Research Translating Data 2 Action to Prevent Overdose NIDA STANDFORD UNIVERSITY SUN, ERIC (contact); COLQUHOUN, DOUGLAS ALASTAIR Stanford, CA 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action – Innovation and Acceleration Projects, Phased Awards (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-057
Summary:

Older adults make up more than half of all surgical patients in the United States, putting them at risk for a range of harmful outcomes including misusing opioids, developing opioid use disorder (OUD), opioid overdose, and surgical complications. This project seeks to understand whether pre-surgery interventions can prevent harmful opioid-related outcomes. The research will combine data from a registry of electronic health records and from Medicare claims data to learn about the relationship between these interventions and opioid-related outcomes including persistent opioid use, OUD, and other harmful outcomes.

3UH3AR076729-02S1
The Spine Phenome Project: Enhancing Patient Diversity Cross-Cutting Research Increasing Participant Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement in HEAL Research NIAMS OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MARRAS, WILLIAM STEVEN Columbus, OH 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) regarding the Availability of Administrative Supplements to Support Strategies to Increase Participant Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement in Clinical Studies
NOFO Number: NOT-NS-22-066
Summary:

Chronic pain is a debilitating medical condition that affects roughly 50 million people in the United States. Current diagnostics and treatments rely primarily on subjective metrics and do not target the unique biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to an individual’s pain. This project is part of the NIH Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) program, a patient-centered effort to address the need for effective and personalized therapies for chronic low back pain. This research will enhance patient diversity within the BACPAC research participant population.

1R43TR004743-01
The Pain in a Dish Assay (PIDA): A High Throughput System Featuring Human Stem Cell-Derived Nociceptors and Dorsal Horn Neurons to Test Compounds for Analgesic Activity Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NCATS VALA SCIENCES, INC. MCDONOUGH, PATRICK M San Diego, CA 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL INITIATIVE: Development of Therapies and Technologies Directed at Enhanced Pain Management (R43/R44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-23-006
Summary:

This project will develop PIDA, which will allow researchers to measure the activity of pain-sensitive human neurons in response to pain stimuli and potential pain treatments. The tool will use automated digital microscopes in the absence or presence of a potential pain medication. Since this tool contains human neurons, it may be more effective at predicting the efficacy of potential pain drugs in human patients than the animal models that are currently used.

1R21CA277849-01
The Effects of Hydrocodone Rescheduling on Pain Management of Older Lung Cancer Patients Cross-Cutting Research Leveraging Existing and Real-Time Opioid and Pain Management Data NCI PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR SHEN, CHA Hershey, PA 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data Related to Acute and Chronic Pain Development or Managementin Humans (R21 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DE-22-011
Summary:

Pain is common, complex, and debilitating in many cancer patients. Although adequate pain management can significantly improve health-related quality of life for these individuals, substantial disparities limit care access, especially among underserved populations. After the 2014 Drug Enforcement Agency policy that raised the risk potential of the opioid hydrocodone (from Schedule III to Schedule II), few studies examined the impact of this policy on pain management strategies and outcomes among cancer patients. This project will use national cancer registry data linked with Medicare claims to assess the change in opioid and non-opioid medication use among older lung cancer patients before and after this policy change. By focusing on older racial/ethnic minority groups dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, the research will also examine disparities in the use of medications for pain management and service use consistent with inadequate pain management.