Targeting a molecular stress pathway to relieve diabetic nerve pain
Official title: Targeting methylglyoxal-induced diabetic neuropathic pain through the integrated stress response
Funded at University of Texas Dallas · NIH-11374475 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher at UT Dallas is testing whether blocking a cellular stress pathway can reduce nerve pain caused by diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Dallas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Richardson, United States) |
| Project start | September 7, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,227,406 |
| NIH project number | 4R01DK134893-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11374475 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with diabetes who experience chronic neuropathic pain and could benefit from new pain therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without diabetic neuropathy or who do not experience nerve pain may not benefit from this research path.
What this research studies
Diabetes often comes with chronic nerve pain that is hard to treat. The project studies methylglyoxal, a by-product linked to diabetes, and how it activates a cellular stress response that makes sensory nerves overreact. Researchers will use mouse, rat, and human neuron models to see if inhibiting the ISR pathway can reduce pain signals. If successful, this work could point to new ways to relieve pain for people with diabetes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the approach works, it could lead to new treatments that reduce diabetic neuropathic pain.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical evidence supports the ISR pathway as a regulator of nerve pain in diabetes, with promising earlier results in animal and human neuron models.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Dallas
Richardson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Yousuf, Muhammad Saad — University of Texas Dallas
- Study coordinator: Yousuf, Muhammad Saad
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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.