A small pilot study led by a Rutgers researcher has found differences in blood proteins between people experiencing high and low levels of pain from sickle cell disease, findings that may inform research on new treatments and better pain management.
Their paper in Medical Sciences analyzed samples from 16 adult patients and found the unexpected similarities and differences in blood platelets from patients with high and low pain. The researchers discovered that while the two groups had virtually identical levels of protein known to drive pain in other conditions, they showed large differences in proteins that drive neurodegeneration, energy production and other bodily functions. The results suggest the possible existence of previously unknown drivers of disease symptoms such as pain, said Keesha Powell-Roach , an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Nursing and lead author of the study.
“This was a small pilot, so it’s too early to make any broad statements,” Powell-Roach said. “But these findings do justify a wide range of follow-up investigations to figure out why we found these differences and whether they indicate potential strategies to reduce pain or create new treatments.”
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder in which red blood cells can become so rigid and misshapen that they restrict circulation and deprive tissues of oxygen. It can cause episodes of severe pain, chronic severe pain and lasting organ damage. It affects about 100,000 Americans , roughly 90% of whom are non-Hispanic Black, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For the pilot study, researchers recruited adults at the sickle cell clinic at Regional One Health in Memphis, Tenn. Participants completed pain questionnaires and provided blood samples. All had chronic pain, including the eight patients in the group reporting lower pain at the research visit.
The researchers examined platelets, blood cells that help form clots, promote inflammation and perform other tasks. They identified 4,196 proteins within the patient samples and compared their prevalence among patients.
The differences involved proteins associated not with pain, but with mitochondrial function, protein maintenance and removal of damaged cellular components. Mitochondria are structures that produce usable energy for cells.
Some of the altered proteins can also help drive damage to nerve cells. That overlap suggests platelet measurements could eventually help researchers understand neurological complications of sickle cell disease. The researchers didn’t directly measure brain injury or cognitive decline. Their study also lacked a comparison group of adults without disease.
The pilot study’s small sample of subjects and its use of measurements taken at a single point in time also prevent researchers from determining whether the protein differences cause pain, result from it or reflect other aspects of the disease. The findings don’t establish a diagnostic test or treatment.
The research team, many of whose members hail from Powell-Roach’s prior school, the University of Tennessee, calls for larger studies that follow participants over time and combine protein measurements with cognitive assessments and brain imaging. Those studies would test whether the patterns relate to changes in pain or neurological health, a necessary step toward identifying useful biological markers or treatment targets.
This research was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, grant numbers K01HL15310 and R25HL106365. 100% of this project, $12,000, is financed with federal money from the NIH. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Medical Sciences
Experimental study
People
Beyond Pain: A Pilot Study of Neurodegenerative and Mitochondrial Pathway Alterations in Sickle Cell Disease Using Platelet Proteomics
26-Aug-2026
The authors declare no competing conflicts of interest.