Understanding Pain in Chronic Pancreatitis with P-QST
Official title: P-QST Project: Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST) to Predict Treatment Response for Pain in Chronic Pancreatitis
Funded at University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh · NIH-11126630 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research aims to find a better way to predict which patients with chronic pancreatitis will get relief from their pain after treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $580,687 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK127042-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11126630 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this type of research would be patients experiencing abdominal pain due to chronic pancreatitis who are considering or undergoing invasive treatments.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose pain is not related to chronic pancreatitis or who are not seeking invasive treatments for their pain may not directly benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
Many people with chronic pancreatitis experience severe abdominal pain, which greatly impacts their daily lives. While treatments like surgery or endotherapy are available, it's hard to know beforehand if they will truly help with the pain. This is because pain can be complex, sometimes involving how the brain processes pain signals. Our goal is to use a special method called Pancreatic Quantitative Sensory Testing (P-QST) to understand different types of pain in patients and use this information to predict who will benefit most from specific treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors choose the most effective pain treatments for individuals with chronic pancreatitis, reducing unnecessary procedures and improving quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggests that P-QST can categorize patients with chronic pancreatitis into different pain groups, indicating a promising foundation for this predictive approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Phillips, Anna Evans — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Phillips, Anna Evans
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Chronic Pancreatitis and Related Conditions Data Center Supports Multi-Center Research
A national effort to organize and share clinical data and biosamples from people with chronic pancreatitis, pancreatogenic diabetes, and pancreatic cancer to speed biomarker discovery and new treatments.
-
Malabsorption Blood Test for Exocrine Pancreatic Function in Chronic Pancreatitis
A blood test (MBT) will help identify people with mild to moderate pancreatic fat malabsorption and show how well enzyme therapy improves their quality of life.
-
Chronic Pancreatitis Clinical Research Cohort and Biorepository
A long-term study at UF/Advent Health following adults with acute, relapsing, and chronic pancreatitis to build a detailed group with biospecimens and data for better diagnosis and personalized care.
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Cedars-Sinai Center leads research on chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer
A Cedars-Sinai research center is renewing its program to study chronic pancreatitis, diabetes-related pancreatic disease, and pancreatic cancer so doctors can better understand and treat these conditions.
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UPMC Center for Pancreatitis and Diabetes research program
A specialized center at the University of Pittsburgh is advancing clinical and biological studies of chronic pancreatitis, recurrent acute pancreatitis, and diabetes to improve understanding and care.
-
Chronic Pancreatitis Research Network to Understand Symptoms and Find Treatments
This project advances studies of chronic pancreatitis to understand why some people progress and to test new ideas that could diagnose or slow the disease.
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.