Overview  

Advancing clinical research in pain management is a core goal of the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®. HEAL supports both new clinical trials and the expansion of existing programs to help establish evidence-based guidelines for treating pain with non-opioid therapies. HEAL also supports research to ensure that safe and effective pain management therapies are available to all patients, including populations experiencing health disparities.

Open Funding Opportunities

2022
HEAL Initiative: EPPIC-Net Pain Research - Application for Clinical Trial and Related Activities (OT2) [ROLLING SUBMISSION ACCEPTED: BY INVITATION ONLY]
Jun 03, 2022
2022
HEAL Initiative: EPPIC-Net Pain Research Asset Application – Dossier (OT1) [ROLLING SUBMISSION ACCEPTED: BY INVITATION ONLY]
Jun 03, 2022
2021
EPPIC-Net Pain Research Asset Application (OT2) [ROLLING SUBMISSION ACCEPTED: DATES ARE ESTIMATED]
Dec 17, 2021
2023
HEAL Initiative: Discovery of Biomarkers and Biomarker Signatures to Facilitate Clinical Trials for Pain Therapeutics (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
Feb 16, 2023
2022
HEAL Initiative Integrated Basic and Clinical Team-based Research in Pain (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
Nov 04, 2022

Research Programs

The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program conducts studies to better understand common pain conditions, such as chronic low back pain; improve methods to characterize pain; and develop improved diagnostic and treatment tools for pain. HEAL also supports research to identify, prioritize, and test personalized treatment approaches based on detailed analyses of the nature and cause of back pain in individual patients.

The Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network (ERN) conducts Phase 3 clinical trials designed to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies for a broad array of acute and chronic pain conditions.

The Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) program conducts clinical research to integrate evidence-based pain management interventions for a range of pain conditions (often multimodal strategies) into real-world settings within the U.S. healthcare system.

Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net) conducts early-phase clinical trials testing experimental non-addictive treatments for acute and chronic pain.

The Integrative Management of chronic Pain and OUD for Whole Recovery (IMPOWR) network develops and tests combined interventions for pain and opioid use disorder in specific healthcare system settings. Examples of interventions being tested include psychotherapy, medications for opioid use disorder, exercise, and pain self-management.

The Hemodialysis Opioid Prescription Effort (HOPE) consortium conducts an integrated therapeutic approach for people receiving hemodialysis, who are often prescribed opioids for pain management. The HOPE consortium supports studies to develop and test the combination of various safe and non-addictive treatment approaches in this population.

The Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures program is building a comprehensive data set to help predict which patients will recover from acute pain associated with surgery or injury, and which patients will develop long-lasting chronic pain.

Many patient populations experience health disparities in pain management and access to care, including racial/ethnic minorities, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations, and sexual and gender minorities. The Advancing Health Equity in Pain Management program supports research to develop and test evidence-based interventions to eliminate these disparities at the level of individuals, providers, communities, and systems.

The Discovery and Validation of Biomarkers, Endpoints, and Signatures for Pain Conditions program aims to advance the discovery and rigorous validation of biomarkers for pain research and treatment. Biomarker signatures that reflect human pain physiology have the potential to refine patient selection for participation in clinical trials – to improve efficacy of clinical trials and streamline further clinical development.

Funded Projects

2022
Total-Body PET for Assessing Myofascial Pain
Oct 01, 2022
2022
Integrative Training Program for Pediatric Sickle Cell Pain
Sep 19, 2022
2022
Equity Using Interventions for Pain and Depression (EQUIPD)
Sep 19, 2022
2022
Culturally Adapted Mobile Treatment of Chronic Pain in Adolescent Survivors of Pediatric Bone Sarcoma
Sep 19, 2022
2022
Partners for Pain & Wellbeing Equity: A Randomized Trial of Community Supported Complementary and Integrative Health Self-Management for Back Pain
Sep 19, 2022

Closed Funding Opportunities

2020
HEAL Initiative: Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) (UG3/UH3, Clinical Trials Optional)
Jan 23, 2020
2021
HEAL Initiative: Developing Quantitative Imaging and Other Relevant Biomarkers of Myofascial Tissues for Clinical Pain Management (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Required)
Nov 16, 2021
2020
HEAL Initiative: Pain Management Effectiveness Research Network: Clinical Trial Planning and Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
Jan 21, 2020
2019
HEAL Initiative: Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network - Specialized Clinical Centers (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Sep 25, 2019
2022
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
Feb 08, 2022

Request for Information (RFI) on the NIH Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program

This highly collaborative research program will be composed of mechanistic research centers and technology sites that will conduct translational research and phase 2 clinical trials to deliver an integrated model of back pain and patient-based algorithms to facilitate the identification of treatments tailored to the individual patient.

Read more
Image
NIH. National Institutes of Health

NIH research program to explore the transition from acute to chronic pain

The National Institutes of Health has launched the Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures (A2CPS) program to investigate the biological characteristics underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain.

Read more