Funded Projects

NOFO Title: Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: PA-20-193
Summary:

The HEAL-funded Sequenced-strategy for Improving Outcomes in People with Knee Osteoarthritis Pain (SKOAP) clinical trial evaluates behavioral, pharmacologic, and procedural interventions for patients with knee osteoarthritis pain. It is designed to mimic clinical care for these patients by first testing the effectiveness of conservative and nonsurgical interventions before considering surgical interventions. It is a large-scale clinical trial with a novel design that evaluates multidisciplinary treatments. Therefore, it offers a unique training opportunity for junior investigators from various disciplines who are interested in pain research and management. This mentoring award will allow a selected investigator to train junior investigators by providing protected, mentorship-focused time.

NOFO Title: Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: PA-20-193
Summary:

Throughout clinical pain research, there is a need to increase the workforce of researchers familiar with individualized treatment strategies known as precision pain medicine. This mentoring award will leverage EPPIC-Net’s Clinical Coordinating Center resources to encourage interest in clinical pain management, in particular through multidisciplinary pain research projects. A selected clinician-researcher  will mentor early career investigators and provide them with hands-on training activities and other skill-building experiences in clinical pain research, with a focus on precision pain medicine, biomarker development, and pain assessment. Mentoring activities will include formal educational coursework, inclusion in EPPIC-Net working groups, and collaborative writing experiences.

NOFO Title: Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: PA-20-193
Summary:

Enhancing the workforce of pain investigators and practitioners is a key goal of the NIH HEAL Initiative. This mentoring award leverages the resources at one of EPPIC-Net’s Specialized Clinical Centers to encourage interest in clinical pain management, in particular through multidisciplinary pain research projects. A selected investigator will train early career clinical researchers on how to develop and validate relevant pain measures and outcomes in chronic pain conditions, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic chronic low back pain. Mentoring activities will include formal research and analysis, active inclusion in EPPIC-Net working groups, and collaborative writing experiences.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: EPPIC-Net Pain Research Asset Application (OT2)
NOFO Number: OTA-20-008
Summary:

People with diabetes are at risk for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This pain may be experienced as burning, aching, hypersensitivity to touch, or simply as pain, and there are no currently FDA-approved medications that reduce its symptoms. This phase 2 clinical trial, through the EPPIC-NET program, will test a potential new treatment for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The molecule, NRD135S.E1, is a lab-made version of a natural substance traditionally used to brew tea to treat a variety of indications, including pain, in a village in Siberia. In clinical studies, NRD135S.E1 was well tolerated by patients and showed clinically relevant pain relief. Testing within EPPIC-Net will use a master protocol, an innovative study design in which multiple treatments can be tested at the same time with fewer research participants.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL) (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-041
Summary:

There is little evidence available to guide clinical care for patients on long-term opioid therapy for whom risks exceed benefits. Given valid fears about both pain and withdrawal during decreased dosing (tapering), these individuals face challenges, including concerns about being abandoned by providers and uncertainty about the need to discontinue opioids. As such, these patients are hesitant to enroll voluntarily in opioid discontinuation research, further deepening the clinical evidence gap. This project will evaluate three effective and scalable interventions for individuals on long-term opioid therapy: (1) low-dose transdermal buprenorphine (without) of opioid withdrawal, (2) a brief cognitive behavioral intervention for pain, and (3) noninvasive brain stimulation.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy (MIRHIQL) (R01 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-041
Summary:

Decreasing opioid dosing faster than advised by clinical recommendations often leaves chronic pain unaddressed and may increase the risk of overdose and suicide compared to continuing long-term opioid treatment. Continued, long-term use of opioids after surgery by individuals who use opioids increases the risk of postoperative complications, opioid use disorder, and death. Surgery is a critical point-of-care moment for health care providers to interact with patients who use opioids about continued opioid use when harms outweigh benefits. This project will test of the Motivational Interviewing and guided Opioid Tapering support (MI-Opioid Taper) strategy, with or without a medication that reduces anxiety and relieves pain, at four geographically diverse hospitals across the nation.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain Management (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: NS22-002
Summary:

This research project will include focus group interviews with clinicians, patients, medical interpreters, and healthcare administrators to identify barriers and facilitators to administering the GetActive+ intervention in a group visit at a clinic for older adults with chronic pain, to inform development of a therapy manual. The project will then test the GetActive+ intervention for changes in physical function immediately post-intervention and after 6 months, as well as for changes in pain, sleep, depression, and anxiety at both time points. This research will also assess feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and adoption of the intervention with patients, providers, and healthcare staff. 

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:

Myofascial pain syndrome is a prevalent and debilitating condition and can aggravate other conditions such as sickle cell disease. This project will use total body imaging using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (TB-PET/CT) to identify and monitor this pain syndrome and potential treatments over time. The research will use TB-PET/CT to assess myofascial tissue effects of chronic low back pain and sickle cell disease pain. The first phase of the project will assess health changes observed by TB-PET/CT imaging in painful and non-painful myofascial tissues compared to healthy myofascial tissue. The second phase of the research will be a randomized, controlled longitudinal interventional study to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture on myofascial pain syndrome, using TB-PET/CT imaging to assess changes.

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 the muscles and surrounding connective tissues (myofascial pain) can affect many regions of the body and is a key component of chronic low back pain. Patients with chronic low back pain have a range of musculoskeletal problems perpetuating their pain. There is a significant clinical need to identify the components of myofascial pain in people with chronic low back pain. Advances in ultrasound technology have allowed researchers to identify several differences in muscle and connective tissues related to myofascial pain. This project will develop and validate an ultrasound-based biomarker signature for myofascial pain in the low back. This research will also refine the biomarker signature using advanced machine learning approaches, toward future testing in in a randomized controlled clinical trial.

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 the muscles and surrounding connective tissue (myofascial pain) is a significant and poorly understood health concern affecting hundreds of millions of Americans. There is a great need for tools to assess changes to myofascial tissues in individuals with chronic pain as well as to measure the effect of commonly used therapies. This project will use three imaging tools to look at differences between shoulder tissue in people with myofascial pain compared to those without pain. Using a machine learning approach, this research aims to develop a biomarker signature for myofascial pain, which will be evaluated in a randomized controlled clinical trial based on its ability to predict patient responses to myofascial pain treatments.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain and Comorbidities (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-22-002
Summary:

Back pain, including low back and neck pain, is one of the most prevalent and disabling pain disorders. Treatment requires ongoing self-management, but most healthcare systems do not support self-care and instead focus on costly, provider-dependent therapies that remain inaccessible to many Black and Hispanic Americans and individuals with less education and income. This project will address these health disparities by developing a personalized self-management treatment program that includes pain education, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exercise – and make it available in community settings.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain Management (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: NS22-002
Summary:

Cancer pain treatment disparities are associated with a decreased ability to tolerate treatment, as well as increased rates of disability, unemployment, institutionalization, and early death. The Achieving Equity through SocioCulturally-informed, Digitally-Enabled Cancer Pain managemeNT (ASCENT) clinical trial will test whether a novel digitally enabled, collaborative approach to team-based pain management can improve clinical outcomes and reduce long-standing and devastating disparities among rural dwelling and Hispanic/Latinx cancer survivors. A major focus of the randomized, effectiveness clinical trial is to test the hypothesis that the ASCENT intervention will reduce pain and unplanned healthcare use, while improving function, mood, sleep, and quality of life.

NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: Advancing Health Equity in Pain and Comorbidities (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: RFA-NS-22-037
Summary:

Asian American women who have survived breast cancer and who also have depression are less likely to receive adequate pain treatment due to cultural stigma attached to breast cancer, cultural attitudes about living with pain and symptoms, and language barriers. This project will use a personalizable, technology-based approach to treat cancer pain and depression in Japanese American, Chinese American, and Korean American women who have survived breast cancer. The intervention will accommodate flexibility, accessibility, and anonymity: three factors that have historically hindered effective pain management for this population of breast cancer survivors.