Pain Research Center
Research Projects
Major areas of research focus on understanding the pain mechanisms underlying individual differences in the pain experience and treatment responses, advancing novel nonaddictive therapeutics, and developing personalized medicine approaches to optimize health outcomes. By identifying unique pain phenotypic profiles, we will identify novel therapeutic targets and advance the development of personalized therapies for managing pain and improving patient care. Highlighted projects include:
Deep pain phenotyping to understand pain mechanisms
Using tools such as neuroimaging, psychophysics, and patient-reported outcomes, investigators in this area explore how the nervous system processes and perceives pain and how the interaction of biopsychosocial factors influences the perception and expression of pain. This work aims to elucidate mechanisms that explain individual differences in pain sensitivity. These insights could lead to more precise and effective pain management strategies.
- Associated principal investigators (PIs) and ICs:
- Misha Bačkonja, NCCIH
- Lauren Atlas, NCCIH, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Swee Lay Thein, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Mathew Hsieh, NHLBI
- Deepika Darbari, Children’s National
- Andrew Mannes, Clinical Center (CC) Department of Perioperative Medicine (DPM)
- Alison Boyce, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
- Janice Lee, NIDCR
Therapeutic interventions and pain management
This research area focuses on developing and testing new treatments for pain management, including nonopioid medications and noninvasive methods for targeting specific pain receptors or central networks. The aim is to provide safer, more effective, and targeted therapeutic options for pain relief, with the goal of reducing opioid dependence and enhancing patient outcomes.
- Associated PIs and ICs:
- Andrew Mannes, CC-DPM
- Michael Iadarola, CC-DPM
- Alexander Chesler, NCCIH, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- Thomas Bulea, CC Rehabilitation Medicine Department (RMD)
- Janice Lee, NIDCR
Disease modeling and personalized pain medicine
Research focuses on innovative cutting-edge technology, tools, methods, and approaches, e.g., induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, to study pain mechanisms in specific populations and develop individualized treatments. By modeling disease-specific pain responses and investigating chronic pain in unique populations, investigators hope to advance personalized medicine approaches, improving pain management for patients with complex, treatment-resistant pain conditions.
- Associated PIs and ICs:
- Carsten Bönnemann, NINDS
- Alexander Chesler, NCCIH, NINDS, NCATS
- Claire LePichon, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Alison Boyce, NIDCR
- Michael Collins, NIDCR
- Swee Lay Thein, NHLBI
- Zenaide Quezado, CC-DPM
- Andrew Mannes, CC-DPM
- Michael Iadarola, CC DPM
- Leorey Saligan, National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
- Janice Lee, NIDCR