Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Yale University received a $841,906 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), awarded May 15, 2026, with completion targeted for February 28, 2031. The grant funds the SPIRIT-2 Study (Sickle Pain Related Impact Study), a longitudinal research initiative addressing critical evidence gaps in chronic pain management for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. The research will identify risk factors for sustained high-impact chronic pain (HICP)—pain that substantially restricts work, social, and self-care participation—to enable targeted treatment intensification and resource allocation for high-risk patients with SCD.

The study will generate patient-centered clinical trial endpoints informed by individuals with lived experience of SCD-related chronic pain, develop blood-based biomarkers specific to SCD chronic pain to support regulatory approval of new treatments, and establish a definitive longitudinal cohort to characterize the natural history and outcomes of HICP distinct from mild-bothersome chronic pain phenotypes. Research will be conducted at Yale University's New Haven, Connecticut facility and addresses gaps in understanding sustained HICP risk trajectories, intervention target identification, and the absence of validated objective biomarkers complementing self-reported pain assessments in sickle cell disease populations.