Funded Projects

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Project # Project Title Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Institution(s) Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
1R61AT012283-01
Development and Identification of Magnetic Resonance, Electrophysiological, and Fiber-Optic Imaging Biomarkers of Myofascial Pain Clinical Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Biomarkers, Endpoints, and Signatures for Pain Conditions NCCIH WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HU, SONG (contact); WANG, YONG St. Louis, MO 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Developing Quantitative Imaging and Other Relevant Biomarkers of Myofascial Tissues for Clinical Pain Management
NOFO Number: RFA-AT-22-003
Summary:

Pain in muscles and surrounding connective tissue (myofascial pain) is a significant health concern affecting hundreds of millions of Americans. There is no objective way to identify and measure myofascial pain. This project will address this unmet challenge by developing a robust approach to identify imaging biomarker(s) that can distinguish different states of myofascial pain. The research will then examine the ability of identified biomarker(s) to predict patient responses to a myofascial pain treatment in a randomized controlled clinical trial.
1R01HD113199-01
The Opioid in Pregnancy: Imaging of Oxygenation, Inflammation, and Development in Brain & Placenta Project (OPIOID BPP) Enhanced Outcomes for Infants and Children Exposed to Opioids The Biology of Opioid Exposure During Pregnancy and Effects on Early Neuro-Behavioral Development NICHD WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY KELLY, JEANNIE CHEN (contact); WANG, YONG Saint Louis, MO 2023
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Opioid Exposure and Effects on Placenta Function, Brain Development, and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-HD-23-030
Summary:

Opioid use disorder during pregnancy is associated with poor infant outcomes including neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and impaired brain development during childhood. This project will use advanced imaging techniques to measure inflammation in the placenta and evaluate brain structure of the developing fetus. These data will be combined with measures of infant NOWS and neurodevelopmental outcomes at birth and 1 year of age. This research will explore the value of these imaging methods as diagnostic tools for infants exposed to opioids during pregnancy. The research will also study the effect of opioids on the placenta’s ability to provide oxygen to the growing fetus as well as the potential for inflammation to damage the placenta and harm development of the fetal brain. 
3R01DK103901-04S1
TARGETING THE TRANSIENT RECEPTOR POTENTIAL CHANNELS TO IMPROVE BOWEL DYSFUNCTION Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management NIDDK WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY HU, HONGZHEN SAINT LOUIS, MO 2018
NOFO Title: Research Project Grant (Parent R01)
NOFO Number: PA-13-302
Summary:

Postoperative ileus (POI) following gastrointestinal (GI) surgery leads to significant patient morbidity and prolonged hospitalizations. Recent studies have demonstrated that intestinal manipulation and surgical trauma activate inflammatory macrophages (M?) and release inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO) to inhibit intestinal smooth muscle cells in POI. Intestinal M? are a highly heterogeneous and dynamic population in the innate immune system. Preliminary studies show that transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel, a molecular sensor of tissue damage and inflammation, is exclusively expressed by the F4/80+/CD206+ intestinal anti-inflammatory M2 M?. Activation of TRPV4 produces an intestinal contractile response and improves GI transit in a mouse model of POI. The current proposal aims to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of TRPV4 in the intestinal M2 M?.
1R21NS132565-01
Discovery of the Novel Targets for Post-Traumatic Headache Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Treatment of Pain NINDS WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CAO, YUQING Saint Louis, MO 2023
NOFO Title: Emergency Awards: HEAL Initiative-Early-Stage Discovery of New Pain and Opioid Use Disorder Targets Within the Understudied Druggable Proteome (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-TR-22-011
Summary:

Chronic post-traumatic headache (PTH) is highly debilitating, poorly understood, and difficult to treat. This project aims to identify proteins located in the membrane of certain neurons that are critical for the development, maintenance, and/or resolution of PTH. These proteins may be targets for novel treatment approaches that are nonaddictive and have minimal side effects.
1R34DA050044-01
Improving health and employment outcomes through workplace opioid policies New Strategies to Prevent and Treat Opioid Addiction Preventing Opioid Use Disorder NIDA Washington University Dale, Anne Marie St. Louis, MO 2019
NOFO Title: Pilot Health Services and Economic Research on the Treatment of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use Disorders (R34 Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: PA-18-774
Summary:

This study will develop and test the feasibility of implementing guidelines on workplace policies to reduce prescription opioid use, decrease chronic opioid use, promote recovery from opioid use disorder, and improve health-related employment outcomes. The researchers will develop and test these guidelines among construction workers. This project will provide critical information to design and conduct a randomized trial to implement and evaluate insurance and employment policy guidelines among labor-management health funds in the building trades. Aim 1 will identify current best-practice health care and employment policies to prevent health and employment consequences of opioid use. Aim 2 will characterize the opioid problem in construction and adapt best-practice healthcare and employment policies to the unique needs of the construction industry. Aim 3 will evaluate the feasibility of implementing workplace opioid guidelines in the construction trades and will define and collect measures of implementation and effectiveness.