Aging Demographics Require Novel Ideas in Pain Research

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, September 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Significant unmet medical needs in the field of pain in Europe have made pain research more relevant than ever. On the occasion of the congress of the European Pain Federation EFIC^®,young scientists from across Europe presented the results of their pain research projects, which focus on novel ideas with the potential for achieving major advances in pain management.

The knowledge that every fifth European citizen suffers from persistent or chronic pain, coupled with Europe's aging demography, indicates a likely rise in the number of pain patients in the near future. With pain research gaining in importance, the EFIC-Grünenthal Grant (E-G-G), a pain research grant, aims to support young scientists by providing them with a platform to present their projects during the second largest pain congress worldwide.

"To reach our goal of 'Bringing pain relief to all patients', the subject of this year's EFIC^® congress, we are hoping that these young scientists' pain research projects can contribute to relieving the pain of millions of people," Professor Bart Morlion, President of the European Pain Federation EFIC^®. commented. He emphasized the development of pain in a broader perspective as a contextual-, lifestyle- and environmental-related disease: "Due to lifestyle changes, which often have the potential of manifesting themselves at a very early age, we have to consider new avenues of multidisciplinary cooperation and pain research on a pan-European level."

Previous grant recipients presented their research projects at the Symposium "New Findings in Clinical Pain Research" as follows:

• "Disruption of emotional modulation in chronic pain patients" by Dr Jamila Andoh, PhD (Mannheim, Germany)
  
• "ERP biomarkers of cortical reorganisation in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)" by Dr Christopher Brown, PhD, Liverpool, United Kingdom
  
• "A neurophysiological and psychophysical study showing that Aß-fibres mediate paroxysmal pain in healthy humans" by Prof. Andrea Truini, MD, PhD, Rome, Italy
  
• Prof. Katharina Zimmermann, MD, from Erlangen, Germany and one of the winners of an E-G-G in 2012, gave insights into her research project by holding the guest speech, "Brain mechanisms of abnormal temperature perception in cold allodynia."

"In the light of our aging society and the increasing number of chronic health conditions, a stronger focus on the societal impact of pain is necessary to secure excellent health care in Europe, in a long-term and sustainable manner. Grünenthal is the only fully integrated R&D pharmaceutical company significantly investing in pain research," according to Dr Frank Laschewski, Senior Vice President Medical Affairs of Grünenthal. Dr Laschewski underlined the importance of streamlined support for young scientists: "In addition to financial assistance, the E-G-G provides a platform for the open discussion of research ideas with leading European pain experts, as well as the opportunity to socialize within the interdisciplinary network of experts in the field of pain research."

Interested young scientists can apply for the E-G-G 2018 from January 2018.

More information: www.e-g-g.info

About the European Pain Federation EFIC^®

With headquarters in Diegem/Brussels, the European Pain Federation EFIC^® is a multidisciplinary professional organization in the field of pain research and medicine, consisting of the 37 chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP^®), which are the IASP^® approved official National Pain Societies in each country. Established in 1993, the European Pain Federation EFIC^® constituent chapters represent Pain Societies from 37 European countries and more than 20,000 physicians, basic researchers, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and other healthcare professionals across Europe, who are involved in pain management and pain research. For more information, please visit www.europeanpainfederation.eu

About Grünenthal 

The Grünenthal Group is an entrepreneurial, science-based pharmaceutical company specialized in pain, gout and inflammation. Our ambition is to deliver four to five new products to patients in diseases with high unmet medical need by 2022 and become a € 2 billion company. We are a fully integrated research & development company with a long track record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients. By sustainably investing in our R&D above the industrial average, we are strongly committed to innovation.

Grünenthal is an independent, family-owned company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. We are present in 32 countries with affiliates in Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,500 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2016, Grünenthal achieved revenues of approx. € 1.4 bn.

More information: www.grunenthal.com

Follow us on LinkedIn "Grunenthal Group".

Contacts:

European Pain Federation EFIC^®
Sam Kynman
Executive Director
Phone: +32-2-251-55-10
Fax: +32-2-251-48-10
Email: secretary@efic.org
www.europeanpainfederation.eu

Grünenthal Group
Steffen Fritzsche
Head Corporate Communications
Phone: +49-241-569-1335
Email: Steffen.Fritzsche@grunenthal.com

Media Contact:
Insignio
Anja Lehmann
PR Consultant
Phone: +49-241-570-75180 or +49-1522-9232135
Email: anja.lehmann@lehmann-ac.de

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