Awardees

Research award recipients are listed below by year and geography. You can also view grants by topic or learn about the impact LF-sponsored research has made on the study of Lipedema.

2025 2022 2021 2019 2017

2025 AWARD CYCLE

North America

Karthickeyan Chella Krishnan, PhD

Characterizing mitochondrial phenotypes in Lipedema adipose tissue

2025 Proof of Concept Award
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH

Ioanna Yiannakou, PhD, MS, RD

The association between Lipedema and cardiometabolic health: Translational epidemiologic research

2025 Collaborative Award
Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine
Boston, MA, United States

Leon Straub, Philipp Kruppa, Alan Pittman, and Dhruv Singhal

Bioinformatic assessment of multi-center Lipedema transcriptome hallmarks and development of transcriptome-based Lipedema prediction tool with machine learning

2025 Collaborative Award
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA, USA

Europe

Tim Hucho, Rebecca Dinnendahl, and Philipp Kruppa

Testing applicability of Lipedema-characteristic sensory PPT/VDT measurements in patient-supporting contexts

2025 Collaborative Award
University Cologne
Cologne, Germany

Check back soon for more 2025 awards!

2022 AWARD CYCLE

Europe

Matthias Blüher and Pamela A. Nono Nankam

Mechanisms underlying the development and clinical manifestations of Lipedema: Lessons from a single-cell approach

2022 Collaborative Award
University of Leipzig
Leipzig, Germany

Epameinondas Gousopoulos

Investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of CD163 biomarker in lipedema

2022 Collaborative Award
University Hospital Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland

Tim Hucho and Rebecca Dinnendahl

Identification of Lipedema-pain specific sensory measures as basis for future diagnostics

2022 Collaborative Award
University of Cologne

Philipp Kruppa, Sabrina Gohlke, Mojtaba Ghods, and Tim J. Schulz

Assessment of gene expression-based molecular biomarkers for lipedema diagnosis, reproducible disease staging, and personalized clinical care

Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann gGmbH
Potsdam, Germany

Carla Stecco, Caterina Fede, and Carmelo Pirri

Role of fascial alterations in lipedema

2022 Collaborative Award
University of Padova
Padova, Italy

Australia

Louise Koelmeyer, Helen Mackie, Belinda Thompson, and Hiroo Suami

Utilizing indocyanine green lymphography (ICG) and bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) to understand lipedema diagnosis in comparison to lymphedema and obesity

2022 Collaborative Award
Macquarie University
Macquarie Park, Australia

Ramin Shayan and Tara Karnezis

Investigating a functionally important population of immune cells as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target in Lipedema

2022 Collaborative Award
St Vincent's Institute for Medical Research
Melbourne, Australia

North America

Kelsey H. Collins, PhD and Farshid Guilak, PhD

A Discovery Platform to Understand the Role of Pathological Adipose Tissue in Lipedema

2022 Collaborative Award
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Rachelle Crescenzi and Aaron W. Aday

Building Lipedema Research Resources

2022 Collaborative Award
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN

Ngan Huang and Bruce Bunnell

Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in Lipedema

2022 Collaborative Award
Veteran Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System
Palo Alto, CA

2021 AWARD CYCLE

North America

Evangelia Bellas and Jennifer Munson

Characterization of Biotransport through Engineered Lipedemic Tissues

2021 Collaborative Award
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

Bruce Alan Bunnell

Estrogen Signaling in Adipose Tissue Metabolism and Development of Lipedema

2021 Collaborative Award
University of North Texas Health Center
Fort Worth, TX

Scott J. Cameron

Platelets as Biosensors and Regulators of Metabolism in Lipedema

2021 Proof-of-Concept Award
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Cleveland, OH

Brant Isakson

Dysfunctional Gap Junction Communication Between Endothelium and Adipocytes in Lipedema

2021 Proof-of-Concept Award
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center
Charlottesville, VA

Samuel Klein and Vincenza Cifarelli

Adipose Tissue Biology and Effect of Weight Loss in Women with Lipedema

2021 Collaborative Award
Washington University School of Medicine
Center for Human Nutrition
St. Louis, MO

Bruno Péault and Ayelet Dar

Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Lipedema: Distribution, Frequency, and Potentials

2021 Collaborative Award
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)
Los Angeles, CA

Atefeh Rabiee

Turning up the Heat on Lipedema

2021 Collaborative Award
University of the Pacific
Stockton, CA

Eric Ravussin and Ursula White

A Novel Approach to Examine Adipose Cellular Kinetics of Lipedema

2021 Collaborative Award
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Clinical Science
Baton Rouge, LA

Joseph Rutkowski and Leopoldo Cobos-Salinas

Impact of Combination Therapy on Lipedema Patient Tissue Stress

2021 Collaborative Award
Texas A&M University College of Medicine
Medical Physiology
Bryan, TX

Melody Swartz

Role of Lymphatic Clotting and Neutrophil NETosis in Lipidema

2021 Proof of Concept Award
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Europe

Jean-Paul Belgrado

Basic Toolbox for Lipedema Syndrome Assessment (BATOLISA Project)

2021 Collaborative Award
Université libre de Bruxelles
Bruxelles, Belgium

Manuel Cornely, Oliver A. Cornely, and Till Hasenberg

How Does Obesity Therapy Affect Lipedema?

2021 Collaborative Award
Ly.Search GmbH
Cologne, Germany

René Hägerling

3D-Histopathology of Lipedema

2021 Proof of Concept
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Institute of Medical and Human Genetics
Berlin, Germany

Philipp Kruppa, Alexander Huppertz and Mojtaba Ghods

Morphological MRI Investigation of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in Lipedema Patients

2021 Collaborative Award
Klinikum Ernst von Bergmann gGmbH
Department of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Microsurgery/Hand Surgery
Potsdam, Germany

Alan Pittman, Pia Ostergaard, and Kristiana Gordon

Deciphering the Genetic Basis of Lipedema

2021 Collaborative Award
St. George’s, University of London, Molecular and Clinical Sciences
London, United Kingdom

Susanne Wolbank and Eleni Priglinger

EV-miRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Lipedema

2021 Proof-of-Concept Award
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology
Vienna, Austria