What causes pain in sickle cell disease
Nociceptive Mechanisms Underlying Sickle Cell Pain
This work tests whether high levels of free heme and inflammatory signals like TNFα drive acute and chronic pain in adults with sickle cell disease and whether targeting those pathways can reduce pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11283976 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses blood samples and clinical data from people with sickle cell disease to find molecules linked to pain. Researchers found higher free heme in patient plasma at steady state and increased TNFα signals during acute pain visits. Those human findings guide experiments in a mouse model of sickle cell disease to see if removing heme or blocking inflammatory signals eases pain sensitivity. The team tests treatments such as the heme-binding protein haptoglobin in mice to see if they reduce pain behaviors and to learn whether similar approaches could help patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with sickle cell disease who experience recurrent vaso-occlusive pain episodes or ongoing chronic pain and who can provide blood samples would be the most relevant participants.
Not a fit: People without sickle cell disease, children under 21, or patients whose pain comes from unrelated conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to non-opioid treatments that lower both acute vaso-occlusive pain and chronic baseline pain in people with sickle cell disease.
How similar studies have performed: Related preclinical studies suggest heme scavenging and targeting inflammatory signals can reduce pain in animal models, but strong clinical evidence in people with sickle cell disease is still limited.
Where this research is happening
Milwaukee, United States
- Medical College of Wisconsin — Milwaukee, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stucky, Cheryl Louise — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Stucky, Cheryl Louise
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 below.