HEAL Initiative: Discovery and Validation of Novel Targets for Safe and Effective Pain Treatment (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The HEAL Initiative aims to discover and validate new targets for creating safe and effective pain treatments. This grant opportunity focuses on the basic science aspects to find targets in the peripheral nervous system, central nervous system, immune system, or other tissues. The exploration of these areas has the goal of developing treatments with minimal side effects and a low risk of abuse or addiction.

The research funded by this grant must include detailed validation studies. The results should accurately demonstrate potential pain treatment targets' effectiveness, lowering the risk for future translational projects. These subsequent projects will aim at developing substances, such as small molecules, biologics, natural substances, or interactive devices, to create new pain treatments.

It's important to note that the primary focus of this grant does not lie in developing new medical devices. However, basic scientific studies on pain and related body systems are encouraged if they contribute to discovering new therapeutic pain targets.

This grant invitation isn't specific for any certain type of pain condition. Projects could focus on various conditions such as acute pain, chronic pain, migraine, other headache disorders, osteoarthritis, diabetic neuropathy, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, sickle-cell pain, post stroke pain. Furthermore, projects that set out to discover new targets for a range of chronic overlapping pain conditions or specific pathological conditions are also welcome.

Lastly, this grant will also consider projects that concentrate on distinguishing new targets in specific underrepresented groups like women, children, and older adults.