Funded Projects

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Project # Project Title Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Institution(s) Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
1U19NS130608-01
Human Nociceptor and Spinal Cord Molecular Signature Center Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Treatment of Pain NINDS UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS PRICE, THEODORE J (contact); CURATOLO, MICHELE; DOUGHERTY, PATRICK M Richardson, TX 2023
NOFO Title: Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Encourage Eligible NIH HEAL Initiative Awardees to Apply for Administrative Supplements to Support Career Enhancement Related to Clinical Research on Pain
NOFO Number: NOT-NS-22-087
Summary:

This project supports a post-baccalaureate trainee develop skills needed to pursue a career in clinical pain research. The research will use molecular tools to study nerve, joint, muscle, and fascia tissues from individuals with chronic low back pain who had spine surgery. The research will include working with patients, designing clinical studies, and sharing results. 
1U19NS130608-01
Human Nociceptor and Spinal Cord Molecular Signature Center Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Treatment of Pain NINDS UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS PRICE, THEODORE J (contact); CURATOLO, MICHELE ; DOUGHERTY, PATRICK M Richardson, TX 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Discovery and Functional Evaluation of Human Pain-associated Genes and Cells (U19 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: NS22-018
Summary:

This project will identify molecular characteristics of human sensory neurons and non-neuronal cells from the human dorsal root ganglia. This structure located outside the spinal cord is integrally involved in communicating pain signals to and from the brain. The research will use molecular approaches to characterize tissues obtained from organ donors and in patients who experience chronic pain. The findings will also help generate a connectivity map, or “connectome,” of nerve cell connections between the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord and the brain.
1UG3AT011265-01
Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial of Guided Relaxation and Acupuncture for Chronic Sickle Cell Disease Pain Clinical Research in Pain Management Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) NCCIH UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO DOORENBOS, ARDITH Z (contact); EZENWA, MIRIAM OMELEBELE; MOLOKIE, ROBERT E; SCHLAEGER, JUDITH MICHELLE; SHAH, NIRMISH R Chicago, IL 2020
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trials Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-AT-20-004
Summary:

In the US, approximately 100,000 people, mainly of African and Hispanic background have Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Pain is a constant companion and chronic disabling symptom for those with SCD. It is increasingly clear that adults with chronic SCD pain also experience periods of acute worsening of their pain. The evaluation of nonpharmacological therapies that reduce chronic pain and the need for opioid medication among individuals with SCD is critically needed to address lack of adequate pain control to prevent periods of acute deterioration and high opioid use with negative sequelae. The investigators will conduct a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture and guided relaxation in patients with SCD while observing and gathering information on implementation in three health systems. The study will utilize a 3-arm, 3-site pragmatic randomized controlled SMART trial design that evaluates adaptive interventions, in which selection of interventions responds to patients? characteristics and evolving clinical status. The investigators will use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to plan, execute, and evaluate implementation processes.
1R01DE029342-01
Identification and Validation of a Novel Central Analgesia Circuit Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Treatment of Pain NIDCR DUKE UNIVERSITY WANG, FAN Durham, NC 2019
NOFO Title: Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-18-043
Summary:

This project focuses on identifying and validating a new central analgesic circuit in the brain, based on a highly innovative hypothesis that the strong analgesic effects of general anesthesia (GA) are in part carried out by GA-mediated activation of the endogenous analgesic circuits. Preliminary discovery studies found that a subset of GABAergic neurons located in the central amygdala (CeA) become strongly activated and express high levels of the immediate early gene Fos under GA (hereafter referred to as CeAGA neurons). Furthermore, activation of these neurons exert profound pain-suppressing effects in an acute pain model and a chronic orofacial neuropathic pain model in mice. Based on these exciting preliminary findings, this project will identify and validate CeAGA neurons’ analgesic functions utilizing multiple mouse pain models. Identification of these shared common pathways that need to be suppressed by specific subtypes of CeAGA analgesic neurons will be highly critical for developing precise CeAGA-targeted therapies to treat chronic pain.
1R01CA249939-01
Identification of Novel Targets for the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Painful Peripheral Neuropathy Preclinical and Translational Research in Pain Management Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Treatment of Pain NINDS UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE MELEMEDJIAN, OHANNES KEVORK Baltimore, MD 2020
NOFO Title: Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-18-043
Summary:

Chemotherapy-induced painful peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is the most common toxicity associated with widely used chemotherapeutics. CIPN accounts for significant dose reductions and/or discontinuation of these life-saving treatments. Unfortunately CIPN can also persist in cancer-survivors, adversely affecting their quality of life. CIPN is not well-managed with existing pain therapeutics. Recent preliminary findings suggest that the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor alpha (HIF1A) is the target for the chemotherapeutic bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor. This project will test the hypothesis that bortezomib chemotherapy-induced expression of HIF1A, PDHK1 and LDHA constitute an altered metabolic state known as aerobic glycolysis (AG) that leads to the initiation and maintenance of peripheral neuropathy and pain using a novel tumor-bearing animal model of CIPN. This project aims to validate HIF1A as a therapeutic target for the prevention of CIPN, as well as validate PDHK1 and LDHA as non-opioid therapeutic targets for chronic or established CIPN in animal models.