HEAL Initiative: Toward Developing Quantitative Imaging and Other Relevant Biomarkers of Myofascial Tissues for Clinical Pain Management (R61/R33, Clinical Trial Required)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to support the development of innovative methods for quantitative evaluation of myofascial tissues for pain management involving research participants using a two-phase grant funding mechanism. This effort is part of the NIH HEALSM (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative to speed the development and implementation of scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis. The NIH HEAL Initiative is bolstering research across NIH to (1) improve treatment and prevention of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder and (2) enhance pain management. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) seeks research applications to develop quantitative measures of myofascial tissues and assess their abilities to detect changes to myofascial tissues across a variety of pain management interventions. Candidate objective measures may be based on minimally invasive imaging technologies, electrophysiological recordings, integration of multiparametric imaging and electrophysiology approaches, or their integration with other markers (e.g., immune factors, genomic markers, physiological factors) through multiscale modeling or machine learning analysis. The first phase, funded by the R61, will provide funding for up to 3 years to develop quantitative measures that can differentiate abnormal myofascial tissue from healthy tissues using cross-sectional correlations with clinical signs/symptoms. In addition, the R61 phase should include planning activities for the R33 phase. The second phase, funded under the R33, will provide support to assess the abilities of the quantitative measures developed in the R61 phase to measure tissue changes in response to therapies or manipulations that may relieve pain using rigorous, longitudinal clinical study design. The combined R61/R33 should not exceed 5 years. Transition from the R61 to the R33 phase of the award will be administratively reviewed and will be determined based on successful co
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