• Dr Ramin Raouf from King’s School London and Grünenthal attempt to develop dependable microfluidic tradition fashions related for ache analysis based mostly on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons
• Grünenthal has experience in growing human induced pluripotent stem cells in the direction of sensory neurones and can assist the lab of Dr Raouf with a complete consideration of greater than £350.000.
Aachen, Germany and London, England, 27 April 2023 – Grünenthal and King’s School London introduced a 24 months collaboration to develop microfluidic tradition (MFC) fashions based mostly on human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and tailor-made to ache analysis. The collaboration goals to construct on Dr Ramin Raouf’s pioneering work on MFCs by establishing fashions utilizing human iPSC-derived neurons that carefully mimic the performance of human nociceptive neurones. Grünenthal will assist the lab of Dr Raouf with its competencies in characterising human iPSCs and a complete consideration of greater than £350.000.
The collaboration goals to handle a big want for higher transational fashions in ache analysis. Conventional rodent behavioural fashions have regularly did not translate into the medical setting as a result of elementary variations in molecular, mobile and genetic mechanisms of ache throughout species. Because of this, there’s a excessive curiosity in establishing pre-clinical fashions that may extra precisely signify the circumstances within the human physique. Continual ache is a substantial burden that impacts as much as one in 5 folks worldwide and is the most typical cause for looking for medical assist. It stresses healthcare programs and economies, whereas sufferers regularly expertise restricted efficacy from obtainable medicines.
“In comparison with conventional cell tradition methods, microfluidic cultures replicate extra precisely the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system. Due to this fact, they’ll present vital benefits in pre-clinical ache analysis”, says Dr Ramin Raouf, Lecturer in Molecular Neuroscience at King’s School London. “I consider adapting them with human iPSCs will create a transformative platform for producing translatable insights into the mechanisms of ache which can finally contribute to decreasing the attrition charge in medical improvement.”
“We’re delighted to affix forces with Dr Ramin Raouf, a number one knowledgeable in microfluidic tradition fashions. Taking this methodology to the following degree could considerably improve our understanding of how investigational medicines modulate ache”, says Jan Adams, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer Grünenthal. “As a number one firm in ache analysis, our ambition is to play a vital position in growing such pioneering methodologies. We purpose to anchor these competencies in our organisation and to incorporate such fashions in our pre-clinical repertoire.”
Grünenthal and Dr Ramin Raouf share a typical analysis curiosity in neuroscience and the investigation of mechanisms of pathological ache. Dr Ramin Raouf is a world-leading researcher within the discipline of microfluidic cultures who pioneered using microfluidic tradition fashions to review nociceptive neurons and established refined rodent fashions. Grünenthal is a world chief in ache analysis and administration and has delivered six important therapy choices for ache sufferers within the final a long time. Immediately, the corporate is devoted to creating the following era of progressive non-opioid ache remedies. For R&D, Grünenthal executes a particular therapeutic space technique specializing in 4 key ache indications: peripheral neuropathic ache, persistent post-surgical ache, persistent low again ache, and osteoarthritis.
About induced pluripotent stem cells
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived from a somatic cell that has been reprogrammed again right into a pluripotent state by both introducing particular genes coding for transcription elements or including small molecules that regulate cell id. These iPSCs will be differentiated into completely different cell sorts with distinctive characters, together with peripheral sensory neurons.
About microfluidic cultures
Microfluidic gadgets are compartmentalised chips consisting of various chambers, generally known as ´lab on a chip´ or ‘tissue chips’, permitting cell-to-cell contact through a collection of connecting channels. Microfluidic cultures are used on this current collaboration to research the consequences of analgesic compounds on completely different mobile compartments of the pain-sensing neuronal community, in addition to the communication between neurons concerned in pathological ache signalling.
About Grünenthal
Grünenthal is a world chief in ache administration and associated illnesses. As a science-based, privately-owned pharmaceutical firm, we have now an extended monitor report of bringing progressive remedies and state-of-the-art applied sciences to sufferers worldwide. Our function is to vary lives for the higher, and innovation is our ardour. We’re focusing all our actions and efforts on working in the direction of our imaginative and prescient of a world freed from ache.
Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has associates in 28 international locations throughout Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. Our merchandise can be found in approx. 100 international locations. In 2022, Grünenthal employed round 4,400 folks and achieved revenues of €1.7 bn.
Extra info: www.grunenthal.com
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About King’s School London and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
King’s School London is among the high 35 universities on this planet and one of many high 10 in Europe (QS World College Rankings, 2021/22) and among the many oldest in England. King’s has greater than 33,000 college students (together with greater than 12,800 postgraduates) from over 150 international locations worldwide, and eight,500 employees. King’s has an impressive fame for world-class educating and cutting-edge analysis.
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s is a number one centre for psychological well being and neuroscience analysis in Europe. It produces extra extremely cited outputs (high 1% citations) on psychiatry and psychological well being than some other centre (SciVal 2021), and on this metric has risen from sixteenth (2014) to 4th (2021) on this planet for extremely cited neuroscience outputs. Within the 2021 Analysis Excellence Framework (REF), 90% of analysis on the IoPPN was deemed ‘world main’ or ‘internationally wonderful’ (3* and 4*). World-leading analysis from the IoPPN has made, and continues to make, an impression on how we perceive, stop and deal with psychological sickness, neurological circumstances, and different circumstances that have an effect on the mind.
www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn | Observe @KingsIoPPN on Twitter, Instagram, Fb and LinkedIn
For additional info please contact
Grünenthal
Christopher Jansen
Communication Enterprise Accomplice
Grünenthal GmbH
52099 Aachen
Telephone: +49 241 569-1428
E-mail: Christopher.Jansen@grunenthal.com
King’s School London
Patrick O’Brien
Senior Media Officer
Insitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience – King’s School London
Telephone: +44 07813 706 151
E mail: Patrick.1.obrien@kcl.ac.uk