How mitochondria control pain-sensing nerves
Official title: Mitochondrial Regulation of Nociceptor Function
Funded at University of New England · NIH-11261139 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how the tiny energy factories inside pain-sensing nerves change after injury and whether changing them can reduce long-lasting pain for people with chronic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New England NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Biddeford, United States) |
| Project start | February 15, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $401,389 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS131571-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261139 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with chronic inflammatory or neuropathic pain are the population this work aims to help and could be candidates for future clinical studies based on these findings.
✕Less likely to help
People with brief, purely acute pain or pain not driven by nerve sensitization are less likely to benefit directly from this research in the near term.
What this research studies
From the patient perspective, researchers are using laboratory models of inflammatory and nerve-injury pain to see how mitochondria inside sensory neurons respond to damage. They will compare short-term (acute) pain versus long-lasting (chronic) pain using a model called hyperalgesic priming and nerve injury models. The team will test drugs that alter mitochondrial function and record electrical signals from pain neurons with patch-clamp tools to see how energy changes affect nerve firing. Findings will help link cellular energy changes to prolonged pain and point to targets for non-opioid treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new non-opioid treatments that reduce chronic pain by targeting mitochondrial function in sensory nerves.
How similar studies have gone: Animal and preclinical studies have shown that altering mitochondrial function can change pain behaviors, but translation to human treatments is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University of New England
Biddeford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Molliver, Derek C — University of New England
- Study coordinator: Molliver, Derek C
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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.