Heart failure

When the PRDM16 gene mutates, heart muscle cells undergo changes in their metabolism. This increases the risk of congenital heart failure in women more than men, as a ECRC research team led by Sabine Klaassen and Jirko Kühnisch reports in “Cardiovascular Research.”

Science has something exploratory about it, says Norbert Hübner. You never know exactly where you are heading. Despite this, cartographic works are the focus of his interest: the researcher creates atlases of the human heart. And amongst other things, he uses them to understand heart conditions better.

They have their sights set on serious diseases: Gabriele G. Schiattarella analyzes mechanisms of heart failure, Simon Haas wants to improve immunotherapies for leukemia and Michael Sigal would like to prevent gastrointestinal diseases. Now, the ERC is awarding the researchers with a Starting Grant.

Research teams from Würzburg, Munich, Erlangen and the MDC in Berlin have identified, for the first time, where special receptors are located on heart muscle cells. Their findings open up new perspectives for developing therapies for chronic heart failure.

As physician-scientist, Dr. Gabriele G. Schiattarella seeks to gain a detailed understanding of the most common cause of death in the Western world: cardiovascular diseases. The MDC and Charité are delighted to welcome him as a new research group leader at the Buch campus from November 1, 2020.

Titin is the largest molecule in the human body – and together with actin and myosin plays a pivotal role in the ensemble of muscle proteins. A team led by Professor Michael Gotthardt from the MDC describes in the journal “Circulation” how mutations in this protein lead to various heart diseases.

The fatty acid propionate helps defend against the effects of high blood pressure, including atherosclerosis and heart tissue remodeling, a study on mice has found. Gut bacteria produce the substance – which calms the immune cells that drive up blood pressure – from natural dietary fiber.

Acute ischemia (lack of blood flow) and sustained high blood pressure have grave consequences for...

One of the causes of heart failure is the formation of excess connective tissue. An international team of researchers has discovered a specific treatment approach involving the signaling molecule interleukin 11. Their findings have now been published in the journal Nature.

In the largest transcriptome study to date, an international research team analysed the RNA of transplanted hearts and discovered a number of new risk factors for dilated cardiomyopathy and other heart conditions which could thus be recognised more easily in future.