Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. Receives a $1.5M NIH UH3 Award to Continue her STEMCAP-1 Pain Study for Chronic Pancreatitis

There is a critical need for more effective, safer, and nonaddictive therapeutic options for people who suffer from chronic pain associated with chronic pancreatitis or other diseases. Thanks to a new study being conducted by Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in treating pain represents a promising novel intervention and has just received additional funding to advance the science.  

Hongjun Wang, Ph.D. received a prestigious $1.5M NIH UH3 award, which provides the second phase for the support for her innovative exploratory and development research activities initiated under the NIH UG3 award for her STEMCAP-1 pain study for chronic pancreatitis patients to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an infusion of donor-derived mesenchymal stem cells to relieve chronic pain. Co-investigators include Dr. Charlie Strange, Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Dr. Michael Rajala, GI specialist, and Dr. Jeffrey Borchardt, pain specialist at MUSC.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a debilitating disease characterized by irreversible morphological changes (fibrosis) and persistent inflammation in the pancreas. Abdominal pain is one of the predominant symptoms and is associated with the heavy use of opioids. Chronic pain can cause opioid dependence, anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. Although opioids are effective for acute pain, they are not effective as a long-term treatment strategy. 

The use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in treating pain represents a promising novel intervention. Increasing evidence demonstrates that MSC therapy can effectively target several injury pathways in a variety of fibroinflammatory diseases while reducing pain, something that most pharmacological interventions cannot accomplish.