Funded Projects
The Lipedema Foundation is the world's largest funder of Lipedema research. Since 2015, we have invested in scientists asking the hardest questions about what causes Lipedema, how to recognize it, and how to treat it. Browse our awardees, explore grants by topic, or learn about the impact this research has made.
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Spotlight Projects
A few recent projects illustrating the breadth of LF-funded science.
Tim Hucho, Rebecca Dinnendahl, and Philipp Kruppa
Testing applicability of Lipedema-characteristic sensory PPT/VDT measurements in patient-supporting contexts
This research explores the role and real-world applicability of pressure pain and vibration detection thresholds as fast, low-cost, objective, and widely applicable tool for early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and therapy monitoring in Lipedema, enabling routine clinical use, earlier detection across the lifespan, and rigorous evaluation of established and novel treatments.
The association between Lipedema and cardiometabolic health: Translational epidemiologic research
This project aims to establish the first clinical definition of Lipedema phenotype using a scalable physician-led remote assessment framework in a community-based U.S. cohort and determine its association with cardiometabolic health. Leveraging the Framingham Heart Study, this work will improve Lipedema identification, determine its true prevalence, and cardiometabolic comorbidity.
Characterizing mitochondrial phenotypes in Lipedema adipose tissue
This research investigates mitochondrial maladaptations in Lipedema adipose tissue by focusing on distinct mitochondrial subpopulations. By comparing Lipedema patients to matched controls, the study aims to identify bioenergetic, structural, and genomic alterations that contribute to disease pathophysiology and provide a foundation for targeted diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.