Niels Eijkelkamp has been appointed as professor of Neuroimmunology of Pain at Utrecht University/UMCU Utrecht, effective October 15, 2024. The chair will be embedded in the strategic research program Infection & Immunity. In this role, Niels Eijkelkamp will advance his research effort to address the critical need for a deeper understanding of chronic pain. By developing and sharing fundamental knowledge on the interaction between the immune and nervous systems in the context of chronic pain, he aims to translate these insights into urgently needed new medications, diagnostic tools, and prognostic methods for chronic pain.
Pain is the most common reason for physician consultation. It is a major symptom in many medical conditions, and interferes with a person’s quality of life. Although pain usually resolves, it may persist for years in conditions such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, peripheral neuropathy, post-acute infectious syndromes such as Post-COVID, and cancer (and cancer treatment). This chronic pain poses a significant medical challenge. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of chronic pain is limited, which hampers the creation of much-needed therapies. “For a long time, research on chronic pain has predominantly taken a ‘neurocentric’ approach”, says Niels Eijkelkamp. “However, emerging research highlights the vital role the immune system in the development and resolution of chronic pain. Due to these developments in the chronic pain field, there is a clear niche for interdisciplinary research at the interface of immunology and neuroscience in chronic pain.” Establishment of the chair ‘Neuroimmunology of Pain’ will emphasize the importance of immunology in chronic pain at UMC Utrecht.
Niels Eijkelkamp’s research aims to unravel these complex neuro-immune interactions to understand the mechanisms that contribute to pain resolution and the transition from acute to chronic pain. By integrating fundamental science with translational research, and collaborating with clinicians from fields such as anesthesiology, rheumatology, orthopedics, and oncology, his group is determined to pioneer immune-based intervention strategies and develop predictive assays and tools for monitoring disease and intervention outcomes. “I truly believe that understanding the neuro-immune basis of chronic pain will lay the foundation for game-changing immunotherapy that will shift the focus of pain medicine from symptom reduction to curative approaches,” he says.
The appointment of Eijkelkamp to this chair underscores the commitment of UMC Utrecht to interdisciplinary research at the intersection of immunology and neuroscience. The chair will not only fortify UMC Utrecht’s strategic program in Infection & Immunity, but also contribute to the strategic research programs Brain (neurobiology of pain), Child Health (pain in pediatric populations), Cancer (tumor- and cancer treatment induced pain) and Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells (Regenerative medicine for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis).
The chair is built upon UMC Utrecht’s robust track record in neuro-immunology and its national and international position in the field of pain research. It will also enhance the collaboration with the Pain Clinic at UMC Utrecht. The intensive collaboration with the Pain Clinic within the research program Infection and Immunity creates a unique translational research program that elevates the quality and scope of pain medicine and research in the Netherlands.
Niels Eijkelkamp
Niels Eijkelkamp, PhD (1980) is a principal investigator at the Center of Translational Immunology at UMC Utrecht. Niels received a master in Medical Biology at Utrecht University with honors and in 2009 he received his PhD at Utrecht University with a thesis entitled ‘GRK gatekeeper of pain and inflammation’. Prior to his PhD he worked for one year on stress and wound healing at Ohio State University (USA). As post-doc he had a joint appointment at the UMC Utrecht and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) to work on the role of GRKs in pain. Subsequently, he worked from 2010-2012 as a Rubicon fellow on sensory transduction and signaling pathways in chronic pain at University College London (United Kingdom). In 2013 he started his own research group at UMC Utrecht which counts ~20 FTE (including 6 PhD candidates). In 2023 he received a prestigious ZonMw/NWO Vici award.
