How changes in sex hormones affect long-term pain after surgery
Official title: Examination of sex hormone alteration on post-operative pain development and treatment
Funded at Texas Tech University Health Scis Center · NIH-11176100 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether shifts in sex hormones help explain who gets lasting pain after surgery and how pain treatments work for them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Tech University Health Scis Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Lubbock, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $387,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM150979-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176100 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have had or will have surgery and who have altered sex hormone states (for example due to menopause, hormone therapies, or endocrine disorders) are the patient groups most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose postoperative pain clearly has causes unrelated to sex hormones or whose care does not involve surgery may not benefit directly from these findings.
What this research studies
If you've had surgery, this work tries to explain why some people go on to have chronic pain by using lab models that mimic altered sex hormone levels. Researchers will change hormone conditions in animals and measure pain-related behavior and tissue changes before and after surgery. They will also scan genomes and specific tissues to find genes and pathways affected by hormone shifts. The goal is to point to biological signs of risk and possible new treatment targets that could help people recover better after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reveal biological reasons why hormone changes raise the risk of chronic postoperative pain and suggest targets to prevent or better treat it.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research shows sex hormones can influence pain, but creating hormone-altered preclinical models to mimic vulnerable surgical patients is a relatively new and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
Lubbock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wilkerson, Jenny — Texas Tech University Health Scis Center
- Study coordinator: Wilkerson, Jenny
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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.