News of the IPT


July 2022

Neuer DZHK-Nachwuchsgruppenleiter verfolgt Spur der „entflohenen“ Gene

Viele Krankheiten verlaufen bei Frauen und Männern anders. Schon bei der Entstehung gibt es häufig Unterschiede. Das gilt auch für Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen. Woran das liegt, ist bisher nicht geklärt. Dr. Daniel Andergassen vermutet, dass ein Teil der Antwort auf den Geschlechtschromosomen liegt. Mit seiner eigenen Nachwuchsgruppe, die vom DZHK finanziert wird, will er seiner Vermutung in den nächsten sechs Jahren an der Technischen Universität München (TUM) nachgehen.

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January 2022

Ministry promotes development of Covid-19 drug: A spray against lung damage in Corona

rnatics, a start-up at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has developed an RNA-based agent to prevent inflammatory lung damage. These occur particularly in severe corona processes. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is supporting further development of the drug with around 7 million euros. The rnatics team is focusing on a substance that blocks proinflammatory microRNA.

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Epigenetic mechanisms for parent-specific genetic activation decoded - Unmuting the genome

Hereditary diseases as well as cancers and cardiovascular diseases may be associated with a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting, in which only the maternally or paternally inherited gene is active. An international research team involving scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin and Harvard University in Cambridge (USA) has now investigated the mechanisms responsible for the deactivation of the genes.

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A small RNA allows for therapeutic modulation of cardiac arrhythmias

Dena Esfandyari and colleagues discovered a crucial role of microRNA-365 (miR-365) in regulating human cardiac action potential. An abnormal cardiac action potential may lead to different types of life-threatening arrhythmias. This study suggests that miR-365 normalizes the pathologically altered action potential by modulating key cardiac repolarizing channels. These findings have been recently published in Nature Communications(link is external).



December 2021

Otto-Hess scholarship for Sönke Michel

The German society of cardiology (DGK) granted Sönke Michel the Otto-Hess scholarship for the execution of his MD thesis. The Otto-Hess scholarship supports excellent MD research project.

November 2021

SFB Project Retreat 2021 in Alpbach

From November 11th to 13th about 80 scientists from SFB TRR 267 were meeting in Alpbach for the annual project retreat. The impressive scenery fo the Alpbachtal created an ideal atmosphere for scientific exchange and networking within a variety of project presentations, poster sessions as well as the supporting framework program.


October 2021

Hans-Jürgen-Bretschneider-Abstract-Prize at the DGK Herztage 2021

Dena Esfandyari and Ileana Duran Fernandez won the Hans-Jürgen-Bretschneider-Abstractpreis at the Basic Science Meeting of the DGK Herztage 2021, for their posters on "MicroRNA-365 regulates human cardiac action potential duration" and "Macrophages as main drivers of microRNA-21 inhibition treatment for preventing adverse cardiac remodelling and dysfunction after myocardial infarction".