# University of Rochester Hub and Spokes for the EPPIC Network - Specialized Clinical Center

> **NIH NIH U24** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2021 · $151,129

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
Chronic pain impacts 20-30% of U.S. adults. Unfortunately, currently available pain treatments tend to be only
moderately effective and there are many individuals for whom treatments do not provide any relief or who cannot
tolerate their adverse side effects. Attempts to treat chronic pain with opioid analgesics contributed, at least in
part, to the current opioid crisis, affecting both individuals with pain and their family members and friends,
highlighting the need for the development of novel, non-addictive analgesics. The NIH responded to this need
by emphasizing the importance of high-quality analgesic clinical trials that incorporate novel biomarkers and
endpoints in order to promote the development of effective analgesics. To drive this effort, the NIH established
the Early Phase Pain Investigation Clinical Network (EPPIC-Net) to provide a robust and readily accessible
infrastructure for rapid design and performance of phase II clinical trials. The PI of this application is the MPI of
the University of Rochester EPPIC-Net, specialized clinical research center (UR-EPPIC-Net), providing a unique
opportunity to train mentees in the conduct of multisite analgesic clinical trials. Further, the PI’s ongoing program
of research addresses the need for novel outcome measures in analgesic clinical trials and synergizes with
EPPIC-Net efforts to (1) make valuable contributions to the field of clinical pain research and (2) offer a range of
opportunities for mentees to participate in clinical pain research. The overall goal of this administrative
supplement is to provide mentoring and research opportunities for Dr. Sonia Sharma to contribute to the goal of
increasing the number of skilled clinical pain researchers who can design, conduct, analyze, and transparently
disseminate results of high-quality pain clinical trials, and in turn accelerate the development of novel therapies
for chronic pain. Aim 1 will leverage the UR-EPPIC-Net clinical trials to train Dr. Sharma on the necessary skills
to conduct high-quality clinical trials for chronic pain therapies. Aim 2 is a research project focused on developing
novel outcomes for use in clinical trials of neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC), a phenotypically-distinct
chronic low back pain syndrome. Specifically, aim 2 will evaluate the content and construct validity of clinically-
relevant, accelerometry-based outcomes for NIC. The proposed research activities will provide Dr. Sharma with
the practical experiences necessary to conduct high-quality randomized clinical trials of chronic pain treatments,
conduct analyses related to novel outcome development, and obtain preliminary data and publications to support
applications for independent research funding.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10413418
- **Project number:** 3U24NS113784-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Gewandter
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $151,129
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-11-01 → 2023-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10413418

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10413418, University of Rochester Hub and Spokes for the EPPIC Network - Specialized Clinical Center (3U24NS113784-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-07-20 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10413418. Licensed CC0.

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