EFIC-Grünenthal Grant Honours 7 Young Scientists for Their Groundbreaking Pain Research Ideas

BRUSSELS and AACHEN, Germany, June 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

- The continuing Success Story on Research in improving pain patients' lives

Pain is a common condition, which affects one in five adult citizens in Europe. They have persistent or chronic pain, a condition which affects the everyday lives of millions of people worldwide and which also poses a huge economic burden. Since 2004 the European Pain Federation EFIC^® has cooperated with the pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH, to support up-and-coming pain scientists in translating their experimental project ideas into funded pain research projects. The focus lies on novel ideas with potential for achieving major advances in the understanding of pain mechanisms and its treatment.

Grünenthal donates a total of 200,000€ as biennial grant; individual grants are valued at up to 40,000€ per project for a duration of up to two years. Awards are decided upon - independent of Grünenthal - by the EFIC^® Committee on Scientific Research. All parties are delighted with the number of applications submitted, which have exceeded our expectations for the E-G-G 2014 competition. The huge amount of research work which must be carried out underlines the importance of these grants in supporting ongoing pain research.

The E-G-G winners 2014 

The EFIC^® Scientific Research Committee reviewed 100 completed E-G-G applications and selected 7 research projects for funding.

The winners are:

• Jamila ANDOH, Germany
  Circuits of pain memory in chronic pain patients.
• Christopher BROWN, United Kingdom
  Markers of cortical reorganization in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
• Franziska DENK, United Kingdom
  Epigenetics & pain - uncovering the mechanisms.
• Katarina FORKMANN, Germany
  The attentional effects of peripheral and trigeminal pain in healthy subjects and patients with post herpetic neuralgia.
• Flavia MANCINI, United Kingdom
  Defining mechanisms of adaptive plasticity in the coding of nociceptive intensity and location
• Diana TORTA, Belgium
  Cortical and peripheral beta oscillations in pain.
• Andrea TRUINI, Italy
  Breaking dogmas: a neurophysiological and neuroimaging study showing that non-nociceptive Aβ-fibres mediate paroxysmal pain in healthy humans.

"We are pleased to announce the winners of the E-G-G 2014. The EFIC^® Committee on Scientific Research was faced with a complex, long evaluation process for finding the winners. Out of 100 applications - of a very high standard - from several European countries, including various topics, we chose seven outstanding projects. E-G-G concept is based in support of a kick-start research on a hot topic that, if successful, will be further funded in the future. Accordingly, we are enthusiastic and curious about the findings issued from these projects and of course very glad to support them", Dr Luis Villanueva (Chair of the EFIC^® Scientific Research Committee) proudly reveals.

Awarding in Vienna 

Winners of an EFIC-GRÜNENTHAL Grant become part of an international network of pain researchers - allowing them to share cutting edge research and to connect with distinguished experts in the field.

The winners of the E-G-G 2014 will be presented during the Opening Ceremony of the 9^th EFIC^® Congress "PAIN IN EUROPE IX" (2^nd- 5^th September 2015, Vienna, Austria).

Moreover, previous E-G-G winners will have the exciting opportunity to give insights into their awarded projects by presenting the progress and results at the EFIC^® Symposium "New Findings in Clinical Pain Research" at the EFIC^® Congress in Vienna on 3^rd September 2015, 6 - 7.30 pm.

For further information please visit http://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 organisation 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, EFIC's constituent chapters represent Pain Societies from 37 European countries and close to 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 http://www.efic.org.

About Grünenthal 

The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. We are an entrepreneurial specialist delivering true benefits to patients. By sustainably investing in research and development above the industrial average, we are committing to innovation in order to treat unmet medical needs and bring value-adding products to markets. Grünenthal is a fully integrated research & development company with a long track record of bringing innovative pain treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients.

Altogether, the Grünenthal Group is present in 32 countries with affiliates in Europe, Australia, Latin America and the US. Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,200 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2014, Grünenthal achieved revenues of € 1.154 bn. More information: http://www.grunenthal.com.

Current press materials are available on request.

Contacts:

Grünenthal Group
Friederike Herrfurth
Head Corporate Communications
Phone: +49-241-569-1335
Email: [email protected]


European Pain Federation EFIC®
Christel Geevels
Phone: +32-2-251-55-10
Fax: +32-2-251-48-10
Email: [email protected]
http://www.efic.org

Media Contact:
Project Management by Annika Erbe
Annika Erbe
Phone: +49-174-8806313
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Grunenthal GmbH