Sensory testing to guide neuropathic pain treatment
Official title: Sensory Phenotyping to Enhance Neuropathic Pain Drug Development
Funded at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · NIH-11365628 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses sensory tests to find patterns that help pick better medicines for people with neuropathic pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $7,081,684 |
| NIH project number | 4UH3NS130592-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365628 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with chronic neuropathic pain who can attend clinic visits for sensory testing and clinical follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
People without neuropathic pain or whose pain mechanisms are not represented by the biosignatures studied may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
They will use specialized sensory tests (quantitative sensory testing, QST) to map how nerves respond to touch, temperature, and pressure in people with neuropathic pain. Those sensory maps will be combined with other biological markers to create a sensory "biosignature" that represents underlying pain mechanisms. The team will link these biosignatures to how patients have responded to specific pain medicines to find patterns that predict success. If consistent patterns emerge, doctors could later use them to choose treatments matched to a person's pain mechanism rather than just the disease label.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help your doctor choose a pain medicine that has a higher chance of working for your specific type of neuropathic pain.
How similar studies have gone: Small preliminary studies have suggested sensory phenotypes might predict drug response, but larger validation is still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Freeman, Roy — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Freeman, Roy
Related research
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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.