Funded Projects

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Project # Project Title Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Institution(s) Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
1UG3DA047680-01
A novel therapeutic to ameliorate chronic pain and reduce opiate use Novel Therapeutic Options for Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Focusing Medication Development to Prevent and Treat Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose NIDA LOHOCLA RESEARCH CORPORATION TABAKOFF, BORIS Aurora, CO 2019
NOFO Title: Development of Medications to Prevent and Treat Opioid Use Disorders and Overdose (UG3/UH3) (Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-002
Summary:

More than 100 million adults in the U.S. suffer from intermittent or constant chronic pain, and chronic pain affects at least 10 percent of the world’s population. The primary pharmaceuticals for treatment of chronic pain have been natural or synthetic opioids, and the use of opioids for pain treatment has resulted in what has been called an “epidemic” of opioid abuse, addiction, and lethal overdoses. Through a process of rational drug design, the research team has generated a new chemical entity (NCE) and have given it the name Kindolor, a non-opiate, non-addicting molecule that was shown to reduce or eliminate chronic pain in five animal models at doses compatible with use of Kindolor in humans. This project intends to complete the pre-clinical studies required for an IND application, which, if approved, would allow for proceeding onto the Phase 1 and 2 studies to assess safety and efficacy of the compound against osteoarthritic pain.
1R61DA057610-01
Improving Pain Management and Opioid Safety Through a Systemwide, Data Driven Evaluation of the CDC Opioid Prescribing Guideline Best Practices and the Use of Clinical Decision Support Cross-Cutting Research Translating Data 2 Action to Prevent Overdose NIDA UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER HOPPE, JASON Aurora, CO 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: HEAL Data2Action Innovation Projects
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-051 
Summary:

Clinical decision support tools help clinicians make treatment decisions based on routinely collected data and offer a promising strategy to implement evidence-based practices for safe and effective pain management. This project will use clinical decision support tools embedded into electronic health records to help healthcare providers make treatment decisions that align with opioid prescribing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The project will also use information from prescription drug monitoring programs, insurance claims, and mortality data to evaluate patient outcomes. This research will evaluate how prescribing practices that align with CDC guidelines affect patient outcomes and whether clinical decision support tools provide an advantage over standard care practices for pain management.
1R01DA059423-01
Automated Assessment of Maternal Sensitivity to Infant Distress: Leveraging Wearable Sensors for Substance Use Disorder Prevention and Research Enhanced Outcomes for Infants and Children Exposed to Opioids Virtual Assessments to Understand Developmental Trajectories of Substance Use Exposure NIDA UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN DE BARBARO, KAYA Austin, TX 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Development and validation of virtual assessments to study children and caregivers in their natural environment (R01- Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-050
Summary:

High-quality parent-infant interactions set the stage for secure parent-child attachment, self-reliance, and children’s ability to flexibly solve problems and “bounce back” from difficulties. This constellation of behaviors reduces the risk of developing substance use disorders later in life. This project will develop algorithms that use data from wearable sensors, trained separately for English- and Spanish-speaking families, to assess the quality of early mother-infant interactions objectively, automatically, and remotely in natural home environments, with the goal of developing tools to facilitate identification and prevention of early risks for substance use disorders.
1UG3NS131304-01
Development of Positive TMEM97 Modulators for Treating Neuropathic Pain Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Development and Optimization of Non-Addictive Therapies to Treat Pain NINDS NUVONURO, INC. MARTIN, STEPHAN Austin, TX 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-21-010
Summary:

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating and complex medical condition for which safe and non-addictive treatment options are urgently needed. This project aims to develop new strategies for treating neuropathic pain by controlling the activity of transmembrane protein 97 (TMEM97), also known as the sigma 2 receptor, which has been shown to relieve pain in an animal model of neuropathic pain. The research aims to develop a new molecule that increases TMEM97 activity and is safe for human use, toward obtaining approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Phase I clinical testing. 
1U44NS115692-01
Development and Optimization of MNK Inhibitors for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Development and Optimization of Non-Addictive Therapies to Treat Pain NINDS 4E THERAPEUTICS INC. SAHN, JAMES JEFFREY Austin, TX 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Optimization of Non-addictive Therapies [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain - (U44 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-19-020
Summary:

MNK-eIF4E signaling is activated in nociceptors upon exposure to pain or peripheral nerve injury, promoting cytokines and growth factors and increasing nociceptor excitability, which leads to neuropathic pain. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of MNK signaling blocks and reverses nociceptor hyperexcitability as well as behavioral signs of neuropathic pain. A clinical phase drug for cancer shows strong specificity as an MNK inhibitor but requires optimization because MNK inhibition in the central nervous system (CNS) may lead to depression, an unacceptable side effect for a neuropathic pain drug. The research team plans a targeted medicinal chemistry and screening campaign directed at generating a MNK-inhibitor-based neuropathic pain treatment with the goal of restricting its CNS penetration while retaining potency, specificity, and in vivo bioavailability and efficacy.