Grünenthal, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and RTWH Aachen University collaborate to advance pain research
Under the terms of the agreement, Grünenthal will support the institutes led by Professor Lampert and Professor Spehr with approximately € 1 million of funding. Part of the funding allows for establishing two new post-doc positions. The exploratory efforts at the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and RWTH Aachen University will, if successful, enable their subsequent integration into drug development activities at Grünenthal.
Chronic pain is a considerable burden that impacts up to one in five people worldwide[1]. As one of the most common reasons people seek medical help[2], it affects health care systems and economies, significantly contributing to disability retirement.[3] Various indications come under the umbrella of chronic pain, and patients frequently experience limited efficacy from available medicines.
Despite extensive research, limited progress has been made to bring new medicines that address this unmet medical need. Scientists have used rodent models to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in pain. However, the successful translation of these preclinical findings into new treatments for patients with chronic pain has proven difficult. The pathophysiology of chronic pain depends on a range of aspects that have not been well modelled in preclinical species yet, due to fundamental differences in molecular, cellular and genetic mechanisms of pain across species.
“To enhance target validation and translational potential of novel analgesics, we want to address two gaps,” explains Jan Adams, MD, Chief Scientific Officer Grünenthal. “First, we would like to increase our ability to validate our hypothesis in human cells and tissue, and second, we want to create models to investigate cell-to-cell interactions.”
Human Dorsal Root Ganglia represent key communication nodes in transmitting signals from the peripheral somatosensory nervous system to the central nervous system and ultimately the brain, where one perceives the signals as pain. “Investigating high-quality human DRGs will enable us to understand crucial disease mechanisms in neuropathic pain”, says Dr Angelika Lampert, Professor of Physiology, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen. “Furthermore, we will run a comparative approach between human and non-human DRGs. One of our key goals is to identify the best surrogate species for supporting mechanistic translation into the clinic as efficiently as possible.”
Recent scientific progress allows researchers to investigate sensory neurons at the level of an individual cell to analyse the mechanisms involved in pain. “While these insights are beneficial, it remains vital to preserve cell-to-cell interaction in the preclinical setting to appropriately mimic the disease mechanisms in a living organism and receive translatable data”, says Dr Marc Spehr Lichtenberg-Professor for Chemosensation, RWTH Aachen University. “Through this collaboration, we will establish translational models in which we can measure precisely these interactions via specialised electrophysiological methods. These have the potential to improve the reliability of target validation and the quality of compound testing.”
Grünenthal and Professors Spehr and Lampert share a common research interest in pain and neuroscience. Dr Angelika Lampert is a leading researcher in the field of voltage-gated sodium channels, studying the structure and function of these channels and how to possibly prevent peripheral pain by their pharmacological modulation. Dr Marc Spehr is dedicated to investigating how chemical stimuli are transduced into a cell-specific response via complex biochemical signalling cascades and thus built an understanding of how these signalling mechanisms work on a molecular and cellular level.
Grünenthal is a global leader in pain research and management and has delivered six essential treatment options for pain patients in the last decades. Today, the company is dedicated to creating innovative non-opioid pain treatments that address unmet medical needs. For R&D, Grünenthal executes a distinctive therapeutic area strategy and focuses its efforts on four key pain indications: peripheral neuropathic pain, chronic post-surgical pain, chronic low back pain, and osteoarthritis.
[1]Treede et al Pain 2015 Jun;156(6):1003-1007.
[2]Breivik, H. et al., Survey of chronic pain in Europe: Prevalence, impact on daily life, and treatment, European Journal of Pain 10 (2006) 287–333.
[3]Saastamoinen, P. et al., 2012, Pain and disability retirement: a prospective cohort study.
Contacts
Christopher Jansen
Communication Business Partner
Grünenthal GmbH
52099 Aachen
Phone: +49 241 569-1428
E-mail: Christopher.Jansen@grunenthal.com
Dr. Mathias Brandstädter
Leiter Stabsstelle Unternehmenskommunikation
Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
Pauwelsstraße 30
52074 Aachen
Tel.: 0241 80-89893
Fax: 0241 80-33-89893
mbrandstaedter@ukaachen.de
kommunikation@ukaachen.de
Thorsten Karbach
Dezernent Presse und Kommunikation
RWTH Aachen University
Templergraben 55
52062 Aachen
Phone: +49 241 80 94323
E-mail: thorsten.karbach@zhv.rwth-aachen.de
About Grünenthal Group
Aachen, Germany
Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related diseases. As a science-based, privately-owned pharmaceutical company, we have a long track record of bringing innovative treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients worldwide. Our purpose is to change lives for the better and innovation is our passion. We are focusing all of our activities and efforts on working towards our vision of a world free of pain.
Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are available in more than 100 countries. In 2021 Grünenthal employed around 4,500 people and achieved sales of € 1.5 bn.
More information: www.grunenthal.com
Follow us on:
LinkedIn: Grunenthal Group
Instagram: grunenthal
About Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
The Uniklinik RWTH Aachen is a supramaximal care provider that combines patient-oriented medicine and nursing, teaching and research at an international level. With 35 specialist clinics, 30 institutes and six interdisciplinary units, the University Hospital covers the entire medical spectrum. Excellently qualified teams of doctors, nurses and scientists are competently committed to the health of the patients. The bundling of patient care, research and teaching in one central building offers the best conditions for intensive interdisciplinary exchange and close clinical and scientific networking. Around 9.000 employees provide patient-oriented medicine and care according to recognised quality standards. With 1.400 beds, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen treats around 50.000 inpatient and 200.000 outpatient cases per year.
About RWTH
RWTH Aachen University exploits strong research networks and the intellectual curiosity of its staff to address bold scientific questions, transfer forefront knowledge and drive innovative discoveries that impact global challenges.The Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments provided RWTH with a unique opportunity to boost its research profile by strengthening the natural sciences and fostering interdisciplinary research. Topics include sustainable synthetic fuels, data mining, computational science, production technology, high-performance materials, health, renewable resources and mobility. The University educates over 47,000 students enrolled in 170 courses. This includes more than 13,354 international students from 138 countries.
Subscribe to releases from Grünenthal Group
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Grünenthal Group by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Grünenthal Group
Grünenthal and Kyowa Kirin International Announce Successful Completion of Deal to Enter Joint Venture Collaboration2.8.2023 10:36:38 EEST | Press release
The Joint Venture Collaboration includes a portfolio of 13 brands across six therapeutic areas, with the majority of revenue resulting from pain management medicines The new enterprise will be branded as Grünenthal Meds. Grünenthal owns a 51 percent majority share and intends to acquire the remaining share at the beginning of 2026 Aachen, Germany and Tokyo, Japan, 2 August 2023 – Grünenthal GmbH (CEO: Gabriel Baertschi), a global, science-based, privately-owned pharmaceutical company and Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd., (TSE:4151, President and CEO: Masashi Miyamoto, Kyowa Kirin), a Japan-based global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the successful completion of a deal to enter into a Joint Venture Collaboration for Kyowa Kirin International's established medicines portfolio. The portfolio comprises 13 brands across six therapeutic areas primarily focused on pain management, including Abstral® and PecFent® for breakthrough cancer pain, Moventig® for opioid-induced constipation,
Grünenthal’s resiniferatoxin receives Breakthrough Therapy Designation from U.S. FDA for pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee22.5.2023 11:57:05 EEST | Press release
Knee osteoarthritis is a progressive condition affecting over 360 million people worldwide and may have severe symptoms, including pain. Grünenthal is running a global Phase III programme to investigate the efficacy and safety of intra-articular injections of resiniferatoxin, a non-opioid therapy, in adults with pain associated with knee osteoarthritis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation process aims to expedite the development of investigational medicines intended to treat severe conditions and where preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on clinically significant endpoints. Aachen, Germany, 22 May 2023 – Grünenthal today announced that its investigational non-opioid medicine resiniferatoxin (RTX), currently undergoing clinical Phase III development, received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pain associated with osteoa
Grünenthal and King’s College London collaborate to develop human induced pluripotent stem cell-based microfluidic cultures for pain research27.4.2023 09:00:00 EEST | Press release
Grünenthal and King’s College London collaborate to develop human induced pluripotent stem cell-based microfluidic cultures for pain research
Janneke van der Kamp starts as new Chief Commercial Officer at Grünenthal1.3.2023 12:54:00 EET | Press release
Aachen, Germany, 1st March 2023 – Janneke van der Kamp has today assumed her role as the new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Grünenthal. She joins Grünenthal’s executive board and is responsible for the entire Global Commercial Organisation.
Janneke van der Kamp joins Grünenthal as new Chief Commercial Officer22.11.2022 12:43:05 EET | Press release
Grünenthal today announced that Janneke van der Kamp will join Grünenthal as the new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), effective 1 March 2023. Janneke van der Kamp joins Grünenthal from Novartis, where she most recently served as Head of Pharma Region Europe. The Dutch native brings broad experience in the pharmaceutical industry from several roles including General Manager, Global Neurosciences Franchise Head and Global Head of Product and Portfolio Strategy for the entire Novartis Pharma portfolio. She worked closely with Research & Development and the Licensing & Acquisitions teams to strengthen the company’s pipeline. Janneke van der Kamp has vast expertise in launching and growing key brands across several disease areas. She is a studied chemist and holds an MBA from INSEAD.