Home › Sickle Cell Disease › NCT07562451

Assessing Molecular Mechanisms and Effects of Music Therapy in Youth With Sickle Cell Disease Using Single-cell RNA-sequencing

Who can join

Ages 8 to 18 · All sexes

Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with SCD
* English fluency (for survey completion)
* Have access to a personal electronic device (e.g., phone, tablet) with access to the internet
* Meet the criteria for chronic pain defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). IASP defines chronic pain as pain that is both:

  1. Persistent or recurrent for ≥ 3 months
  2. is associated with significant emotional distress or functional disability.30

Exclusion Criteria:

* Major hearing deficiency or medical condition in which listening to music may be contraindicated (e.g., reflex epilepsy).

About the study

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether a 4-week music therapy (MT) intervention can reduce chronic pain and improve psychosocial outcomes in youth with sickle cell disease (SCD).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does MT reduce pain intensity, frequency of pain episodes, and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL)? * Does MT alter immune cell composition and gene expression in inflammatory pathways, as measured by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)?

Researchers will compare participants randomized to music therapy versus a control condition to see if MT produces superior improvements in pain and psychosocial outcomes, and distinct molecular changes.

What is being tested

• Music Therapy (other)
• Standard of Care (other)

Sponsor: Emory University · Participants: 25 · Started: Sep 1, 2026

Contact the study team

• Manoj Bhasin, PhD · Phone: 404-712-9849

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07562451

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Sickle Cell Disease

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 29, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.