Grünenthal Group

Grünenthal, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and RTWH Aachen University collaborate to advance pain research

Share

Aachen, Germany – 7 July 2022 – Grünenthal, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and RWTH Aachen University announced a collaboration to advance the development of next-generation pain medicines. The collaboration involves the institutes of Dr Angelika Lampert, Professor of Physiology at the Uniklinik RWTH Aachen and Dr Marc Spehr, Lichtenberg-Professor for Chemosensation at the RWTH Aachen University. The partners strive to develop a range of translational research tools and humanised preclinical models to enhance target validation.

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.

 

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.

 

About Grünenthal

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

 

For further information please contact

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

 

[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.

Images

About Grünenthal Group

Grünenthal Group
Grünenthal Group

Aachen, Germany

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’s resiniferatoxin receives Breakthrough Therapy Designation from U.S. FDA for pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee22.5.2023 10:38:59 CEST | 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 08:00:00 CEST | Press release

Dr Ramin Raouf from King's College London and Grünenthal strive to develop reliable microfluidic culture models relevant for pain research based on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons Grünenthal has expertise in developing human induced pluripotent stem cells towards sensory neurones and will support the lab of Dr Raouf with a total consideration of more than £350.000. Aachen, Germany and London, England, 27 April 2023 – Grünenthal and King’s College London announced a 24 months collaboration to develop microfluidic culture (MFC) models based on human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and tailored to pain research. The collaboration aims to build on Dr Ramin Raouf’s pioneering work on MFCs by establishing models using human iPSC-derived neurons that closely mimic the functionality of human nociceptive neurones. Grünenthal will support the lab of Dr Raouf with its competencies in characterising human iPSCs and a total consideration of more than £350.000. The collabo

Janneke van der Kamp joins Grünenthal as new Chief Commercial Officer22.11.2022 11:14:11 CET | Pressemeddelelse

AACHEN, Germany, 22 November 2022 –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. As CCO of Grünenthal, Janneke van der Kamp will be responsible for the entire Global Commercial Organisation and serve as a member of the Corporate Executive Board. Her focus w

Grünenthal starts Phase III trials for resiniferatoxin in osteoarthritis-related pain18.8.2022 13:24:23 CEST | Pressemeddelelse

Global Phase III programme to enable marketing authorisation in the EU, the US and Japan for an innovativenon-opioid investigational medicine. The programme will be conducted across approx. 200 study sites and include more than 1800 patients suffering from pain associated with osteoarthritis. Globally, more than 300 million patients suffer from osteoarthritis[1]. The global osteoarthritis market is expected to grow to approximately $11.0 billion in 2025[2]. Aachen, Germany – 18 August 2022 –Grünenthal announced today that the company has enrolled the first patient in its global clinical Phase III programme for resiniferatoxin (RTX). RTX is a highly potent Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) agonist, with a well-validated mechanism of action. The discovery of TRPV1 was awarded the Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine in 2021. If approved, resiniferatoxin may provide patients with long-lasting pain relief with a favourable safety profile. Grünenthal’s Phase III programme wi

HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye