New projects in the field of pain research

The HEAD Genuit Foundation is pleased to be able to support several exciting projects in the field of pain research from 2025.

Research and development project “Construction and validation of an apparatus for mechanical palpation for the diagnosis of chronic pain” / Dr. med. Volker Perlitz, Simplana GmbH Aachen, duration January 2025 – June 2026 (18 months)
With the help of the envisaged mechatronic concept, a large gap in the objectification of chronic muscular pain should be closed. In pain patients, the necessary diagnostic clarification is often not carried out due to a lack of instruments, which prevents access to suitable therapeutic measures. Non-invasive objectification of chronic pain caused by muscular hard tension would be an important step towards overcoming this vicious circle. The biometric technique will be used as part of the testing of the utility model on healthy volunteers and patients in order to further expand the existing database of vegetative peripheral physiological data supported by the HEAD Genuit Foundation. The aim is to produce a certified utility model that will be offered commercially to interested academic parties.

Anatomical principles of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation / Prof. Dr. med. Elmar Peuker, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Cologne; Prof. Dr. med. Timm Filler, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Duration: April 2025 – March 2026 (12 months)

This is basic research in the context of transcutaneous vagal stimulation, which is increasingly being used in various areas of application, with a focus on the treatment of chronic pain disorders and depressive/anxiety disorders.

The design of the devices currently on the market is largely based on a basic anatomical study carried out by the project leaders in 2002. There is a need to further refine the cutaneous map of vagal innervation zones and to determine the effects of different stimulation parameters and stimulation sites. This could make transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation a standard tool for improving autonomic balance and autonomic function in various autonomic, neurological, psychiatric, rheumatologic and other disorders.

Research activities and their implementation on the topic of leptomeningopathy / Prof. Dr. med. habil. M. Luchtmann, Vigdis Thompson Foundation, duration: January 2025 – December 2029 (60 months)

The HEAD Genuit Foundation has been financially supporting the Vigdis Thompson Foundation in the research and treatment of leptomeningopathy since 2019. The new project phase will focus on the following key topics.

There is currently a lack of reliable data on quality of life, which is a key parameter in the evaluation of surgical therapies. The goal for the next few years is to integrate a longitudinal quality of life (QoL) assessment into the existing patient register by implementing the REDCap system, which enables autonomous data collection by patients.

The aim of future research is to investigate the degenerative transformation of the arachnoid at the molecular level. The sequencing of biopsy samples using modern expression analyses (e.g. RNA-Seq) is planned in order to identify potential molecular predispositions for the development of leptomeningopathy. Mechanisms that explain the transition from acute inflammation to a chronic degenerative connective tissue disease will also be investigated.

In recent years, cold plasma has shown great promise in the treatment of inflammatory processes. The aim is to investigate the influence of cold plasma on inflammatory and degenerative developments in the arachnoid. This innovative research could open up new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of arachnoiditis and related diseases.

Influence of osteopathic treatments on systemic inflammatory activity in different age groups / Dr. med. Armin Geilgens, Prof. Dr. Elmar Peuker, Prof. Dr. med. Rainer Kamp, Frank Scheuchel, Fresenius Universities of Applied Sciences Idstein, Cologne, Munich; Duration: September 2025 – August 2026 (12 months)
The aim is to investigate the influence of osteopathic vagus-stimulating treatments on serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and heart rate variability in a young and an older population. Initially, only participants without known immunological or neurodegenerative underlying disease will be examined.