# Novel Cellular Therapy for the treatment of pain associated with chronic pancreatitis

> **NIH VA I01** · RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Chronic pain affects approximately 20 million veterans as about 1 in 3 Veterans have been diagnosed with a
condition related to chronic pain.
There is also a significant interaction between chronic pain, post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), and persistent post-concussive syndromes common to the veteran population. Opioids
prescribed to treat chronic pain are often less than effective and are
associated with a significantly increased
risk of misuse, addiction, diversion, overdose, and death. Unconventional treatment options that can effectively
manage pain and avoid or reduce opioid addiction in Veterans are of significant clinical importance to VA
healthcare. Given the high morbidity and mortality attributable to pain therapy, not to mention the staggering
medical cost, it is vital to the VA healthcare mission to explore novel strategies to effectively treat chronic pain.
Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease characterized by pancreatic inflammation, fibrosis, and
abdominal pain. CP patients often suffer extreme pain that shares common underlying mechanisms compared
to chronic pain caused by other reasons seen in the VA population. CP pain, therefore, provides a valuable
model for the treatment of pain syndromes, and improving the management of CP pain may translate to a non-
opioid treatment option for Veterans. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells that can be
harvested and expanded for therapy. MSC therapy represents a promising new intervention as increasing
evidence demonstrates that MSC therapy can effectively target several injury pathways in a variety of
fibroinflammatory diseases and can reduce pain while suppressing inflammation, something that most
pharmacological interventions cannot accomplish.
Data from animal models and clinical trials support the outstanding and durable effects of MSC infusion in the
suppression of chronic neurological pain and inflammation associated with chronic pain. The goal of this
application is to test whether an infusion of autologous bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) can reduce
pain associated with CP and to explore the potential mechanism of MSC action. Our specific aims are: Aim 1:
Determine the safety, tolerability and potential efficacy of the MSC therapy in reducing pain and disease
remission in patients with painful CP. We will perform a Phase I, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
single-dose study to evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of MSC therapy in CP patients with severe
abdominal pain. This clinical trial will enroll 40 subjects. Aim 2: Elucidate potential mechanisms of action of
MSC therapy by assaying immune cell subsets and gene expression, serum neuropeptides, and inflammatory
cytokines. We will measure changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) subsets, and inflammatory
cytokines levels in patients receiving placebo or cell therapy to elucidate potential indicators of treatment
efficiency. If successful, improving the manageme...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10702127
- **Project number:** 1I01CX002516-01A2
- **Recipient organization:** RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Hongjun Wang
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-01-01 → 2027-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10702127

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10702127, Novel Cellular Therapy for the treatment of pain associated with chronic pancreatitis (1I01CX002516-01A2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10702127. Licensed CC0.

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