# Sex, Hormones and Identity affect Nociceptive Expression (SHINE)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2024 · $99,947

## Abstract

Sex, Hormones and Identity affect Nociceptive Expression Observed in Non-binary adults (SHINE ON)
Project Summary
In the clinical population, women are more likely to report chronic pain and greater pain sensitivity than men
and this difference has traditionally been reported as a “sex” difference. Too commonly, many conflate “sex”
and “gender”, though these terms are not the same, nor are they always congruent. Our previous work showed
that transgender women (TW) and cis women (CW) reported similar pain sensitivity that was different from cis
men (CM), suggesting that gender identity was more important than sex assigned at birth. Whereas our current
project (1R01-NR019417-01) seeks to explore pain sensitivity and immune cell function in cis and trans men
and women (CM, CW, TM, TW), no pain-related study to date has included non-binary adults (NB). The current
proposal seeks to add 40 NB adults [20 assigned male at birth (AMAB); 20 assigned female at birth, (AFAB)] to
the ongoing parent project to investigate the impact of this gender identity category on pain sensitivity and
immune cell function. NB adults often face additional stigma and discrimination and are at risk for poor mental
health outcomes, making it imperative to include this group in the parent project. The proposed project builds
on the ongoing SHINE project (1R01-NR019417-01) in response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI: NOT-
OD-22-032) and is directly in line with the 2022-2026 NINR Strategic Plan framework and priorities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11014834
- **Project number:** 3R01NR019417-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Burel R. Goodin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $99,947
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-22 → 2025-03-12

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11014834

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11014834, Sex, Hormones and Identity affect Nociceptive Expression (SHINE) (3R01NR019417-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11014834. Licensed CC0.

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