Finding biological signatures that predict when acute pain becomes chronic
Official title: PSP Omics Center of Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures
Funded at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories · NIH-11160479 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses advanced lab tests to find biological markers that could tell whether someone's recent acute pain will turn into long-lasting chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richland, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2019 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $526,504 |
| NIH project number | 5U54DA049116-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11160479 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people who recently experienced an acute painful event (for example after an injury or surgery) and are willing to provide samples and clinical information.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have long-standing chronic pain or those without a recent acute pain event are less likely to gain direct benefit from this work in the short term.
What this research studies
If I join, researchers will collect biological samples tied to acute pain events and run high-throughput 'omics' tests to measure proteins, lipids, metabolites, and extracellular RNAs. They will combine results across many people to look for multi-molecule patterns linked with the shift from acute to chronic pain. Labs at Battelle PNNL and partner sites (Stanford and Pittsburgh) will run the assays and analyze the data with advanced analytical tools. The work aims to build molecular signatures that could be used in future tests or treatments to prevent chronic pain.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help identify people at high risk of developing chronic pain so they can get earlier or different treatments to prevent long-term pain.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary studies have suggested some molecular signals may be linked to pain outcomes, but creating a reliable multi-molecule predictor for acute-to-chronic pain conversion is still largely new and unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories
Richland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jacobs, Jon — Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories
- Study coordinator: Jacobs, Jon
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.