Peripheral Neuropathy—A Call to Action

Peripheral neuropathies  are common, debilitating nerve disorders that significantly impact patients’ lives and contribute to substantial healthcare costs.   They are characterized by damage to the peripheral nerves and more than 2% of the population is afflicted and over 8% of those are over 55 years of age. Peripheral neuropathies produce a range of debilitating symptoms such as numbness, tingling, and weakness, as well as burning or shooting pain.  Along with these physical symptoms, patients may experience depression, anxiety, or sleep disturbances.  With time, individuals have diminished sensation, making it challenging to perceive or heal injuries, leading to untreated ulcers.  In severe cases, loss of sensation and ulcers can lead to lower limb amputations.  Those with peripheral neuropathies are more likely to endure these amputations than those without.   

It’s clear that peripheral neuropathy profoundly impacts the lives of patients, with limited therapeutic options to mitigate pain symptoms, prevent progression, or regenerate nerve loss.

In the letter to the editor, the researchers highlight the diverse causes of peripheral neuropathy, including diabetes, cancer treatments, infections and inherited conditions, and the shared patterns of nerve damage among these subtypes. They explain that research on peripheral neuropathies remains fragmented across different NIH institutes despite its prevalence and economic burden, limiting progress toward effective treatments. They propose a unified funding initiative at NIH to foster collaboration, streamline research efforts, and accelerate the development of innovative therapies. 

“By unifying our research efforts under a single NIH initiative, we can break down the barriers that limit progress and pave the way for groundbreaking treatments across all types of peripheral neuropathy,” explains Stephanie Eid, Ph.D., Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar, and first author of the letter.

The argument is that this integrated approach, modeled on successful NIH programs for pain and Alzheimer’s research, could transform care for individuals with peripheral neuropathy.

Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., James W. Albers Distinguished University Professor, said, “The burden of peripheral neuropathies cannot be overemphasized, and this burden will continue to increase as conditions like diabetes become more prevalent. We must not only allocate adequate resources to research of peripheral neuropathies but also do so in a way that maximizes the potential for success.”

Other authors: Kristy Townsend, Ph.D., from The Ohio State University, Vincenza Spallone, M.D., Ph.D., from University of Rome Tor Vergata, Daniela Menichella, M.D., Ph.D., from Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago), and Emily Koubek, Ph.D., from the University of Michgian.

Funding also from the National Institutes of Health, Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Nathan and Rose Milstein Research Fund, the Sinai Medical Staff Foundation, the Robert and Katherine Jacobs Environmental Health Initiative, the Andrea and Lawrence Wolfe Brain Health Initiative and the Dr. John H. Doran Neuropathy Research Fund.

Paper cited: Eid SA, Townsend KL, Spallone V, Menichella DM, Koubek EJ, Feldman EL. A call to action for peripheral neuropathy research funding-Time to consolidate funding under one NIH initiative? J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2025 Mar;30(1):e12681. doi: 10.1111/jns.12681. PMID: 39801027; PMCID: PMC11725771.