Therapeutic targeting of mineralocorticoid receptors in pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling and associated with adverse outcomes. In patients with PH, plasma aldosterone levels are elevated, suggesting that aldosterone and its receptor, the...
MSc Program Medical Sciences – Cardiovascular Research
We are proud to participate in a newly established program training the cardiovascular scientists of tomorrow: The English-language MSc Medical Sciences – Cardiovascular Research is a 1-year program, combining taught (first term)...
ADMIRE Network Virtual Forum
The ADMIRE network organizes a virtual lecture series that aims to strengthen the exchange between scientists working on aldosterone, the mineralocorticoid receptor, or related topics worldwide. The forum is open...
Epigenetic inhibitors attenuate pathological gene expression in cardiomyocytes
Epigenetic modulators have been proposed as promising new drug targets to treat adverse remodeling in heart failure. Here, we evaluated the potential of 4 epigenetic drugs, including the pan-BRD (bromodomain-containing...
BJP Themed Issue: Therapeutic targeting of the aldosterone–mineralocorticoid receptor signaling pathway
During the past few years enormous research activities substantially advanced our understanding of the molecular, cellular, and pathophysiological functions of the MR. The British Journal of Pharmacology now publishs a...
Mineralocorticoid receptor activation and antagonism in cardiovascular disease: cellular and molecular mechanisms
MR antagonists have proven to be highly efficient in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, and they are a cornerstone of contemporary therapy. In the past decade, a series of...
DFG supports scientific network on Aldosterone-Mineralocorticoid receptor signaling
The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) supports the formation of a scientific network on ‘Strategies for therapeutic targeting of the Aldosterone-Mineralocorticoid Receptor signaling pathway’ (Speaker: Achim Lother). The network...
Approaches towards tissue-selective pharmacology of the mineralocorticoid receptor
Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are highly effective therapies for cardiovascular and renal disease. However, the widespread clinical use of currently available MRAs in cardiorenal medicine is hampered by an increased...
Reviewed: MR in pulmonary hypertension and RV failure
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular remodelling, leading to progressive increase in pulmonary artery pressure and subsequent right ventricular failure. Aldosterone and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) are key...
Cytokine adsorption with CytoSorb in patients requiring ECMO for severe COVID-19 pneumonia
It was hypothesized that increased cytokine levels may lead to negative outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19. In a single-centre, open-label, randomized, controlled trial conducted at the Freiburg University Medical...
Endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptors drive pulmonary hypertension and RV failure
Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists are well established in the treatment of chronic left heart disease, however, there is an ever growing body of evidence suggesting potential benefits in other cardiovascular...
Call for Papers: Emerging fields for therapeutic targeting of the aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor signaling pathway
The British Journal of Pharmacology will be publishing a special ‘Themed Issue’ entitled “Emerging fields for therapeutic targeting of the aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor signaling pathway” with Achim Lother, Ulrich Wenzel and...
Hemoadsorption eliminates Remdesivir from the circulation
Both, antiviral treatment with remdesivir and hemoadsorption using a CytoSorb® adsorption device are applied in the treatment of severe COVID-19. The CytoSorb® adsorber consists of porous polymer beads that adsorb...
Protein profiling gives insight into the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and reveals potential biomarkers
COVID-19 is associated with a complex disorder of pro-inflammatory and anti-viral responses, including disturbed interferon signaling. In a prospective single-center registry supported by the German Center for Infection Research, we...
The heterocellular heart requires cell type-specific epigenetic analysis to uncover the impact of diabetes
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of diabetes on gene expression and DNA methylation in cardiac cells. Cell type-specific analysis performed in this study reveals differentially...
No increased activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in patients with COVID-19
The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the corona virus-induced disease COVID-19 is controversially discussed. SARS-CoV-2 enters host cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone...
Bleeding defines the in-hospital outcome of patients with atrial fibrillation after TF-TAVR
We analyzed all 57,050 cases of TF-TAVR between 2008 and 2016 in Germany, of which 44.2% had AF. Patients with AF were at higher risk for unfavorable in-hospital outcome after...
Mineralocorticoid Receptors: Master Regulators of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling
Mineralocorticoid receptors control extracellular matrix composition in the left ventricle and also extracardiac tissues. In the present issue of Circulation Research, the group of Natalia Lopez further extend this view...
Increased levels of D-dimers are associated with a severe course of COVID-19
We evaluated the level of D-dimers and rate of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) in a cohort of 190 patients with suspected COVID-19. After completion of a 30-days follow-up, VTE was...
Use of the CytoSorb adsorption device in MDMA intoxication
We reported first-in-man experience and in vitro data showing the capacity of a CytoSorb adsorber device for MDMA removal. We applied a CytoSorb adsorber device in a 21-year-old male presenting...
COVID‐19 in heart transplant recipients: impact of immunosuppressive medication
In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, organ transplant recipients are considered to be at particular high risk for infection and unfavorable outcome. We report here a case of COVID-19...
CRC1425: PhD and PostDoc positions available
The newly established German Collaborative Research Centre (SFB1425) “Heterocellular Nature of Cardiac Lesions: Identities, Interactions, Implications” is recruiting 13 PhD students and 5 post-docs to join cutting-edge research that aims...
CRC 1425 “Heterocellular Nature of Cardiac Lesions” funded by the DFG
The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the application for a Collaborative Research Center on the “Heterocellular Nature of Cardiac Lesions – Identities, Interactions, Implications” (CRC 1425). Press release DFGPress...
Kaltenbach fellowship
Luisa Wirth receives a Kaltenbach fellowship of the German Heart Foundation – congratulations! Luisa is a medical student in the Cardiovascular Pharmacology Research Group working on gene expression in endothelial...
PhD position available
We are offering a position for a PhD student (m/f/d) in Mineralocorticoid receptor signaling and cardiovascular epigenetics. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists are well-established in heart failure therapy, however, adverse effects in...
Disturbed gene expression in immortalized endothelial cells
Endothelial cells take pivotal roles in the heart and the vascular system and their differentiation, subspecification and function is determined by cell type- and organ-specific gene expression (Lother & Bergemann...
Successful Otto Hess scholarship
Jessica Kowalski, MD student and Cardiovascular Pharmacology Research Group member, successfully completed her Otto Hess Scholarship, funded by the German Cardiac Society. For her work on the cell type-specific role...
Aldosterone-Mineralocorticoid Receptor – Cell Biology to Translational Medicine
“Aldosterone-Mineralocorticoid Receptor – Cell Biology to Translational Medicine” edited by Brian Harvey is now online. The open-access book assembles review chapters from 16 European laboratories taking part in the EU...
Safety of tracheostomy on ECMO
Tracheostomy is recommended in case of prolonged mechanical ventilation and most patients undergoing venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) will also have an indication for tracheostomy. However, there are several reports...
Cytokine adsorption in patients on ECMO
In this prospective single-center registry we evaluated the use of cytokine adsorption in critically ill patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Sepsis but also in non-infectious conditions such as...
Successful meeting of the German Cardiac Society
At this year’s annual meeting of the German Cardiac Society (DGK), MD student Jessica Kowalski gained the 2nd prize at the Hans Blömer young investigator award competition. She was awarded...
Impact of endothelial cell mineralocorticoid receptors on angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is an important adaptive mechanism to maintain capillary density during cardiac hypertrophic growth and ensure oxygen and nutrition supply. Aldosterone and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) are key drivers of...
ESAC Meeting 2018
The ESAC Symposium 2018 on Aldosterone and the Mineralocorticoid Receptor will take place at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg on 7th and 8th December 2018. It will be supported by the European...
Cardiovascular Epigenetics Conference 2018
The 2nd Cardiovasvular Epigenetics Conference featuring well-recognized international speakers will take place in Freiburg, September 24th and 25th, 2018. Visit http://portal.uni-freiburg.de/pharmakologie for further information and registration...
Poster prize of the German Cardiac Society
Lisa Deng is awarded with a poster prize at this year’s annual meeting of the German Cardiac Society (DGK) for her presentation “Endothelial mineralocorticoid receptor deletion alters cardiac macrophage gene expression...
Inhibition of the cardiac myocyte mineralocorticoid receptor ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity
Anthracyclines such as doxorubicin are widely used in cancer therapy but their use is limited by cardiotoxicity. Up to date there is no established strategy for the prevention of anthracyclin-induced...
Awarded with an Otto-Hess-Scholarship
MD student Jessica Kowalski receives a prestigious Otto-Hess-Scholarship from the German Cardiac Society for her work on mineralocorticoid receptors in the cardiovascular system. With the scholarship, the society aims to...
The cardiac endothelial cell transcriptome unravelled
Endothelial cells provide a variety of highly specialized functions in different organs, e.g. as barrier, as sensor, or in nutrition supply, and cardiac endothelial cells play an important role in...
Browse the Cardiac Epigenome
The Cardiac Epigenome Browser is a resource for cell-type specific cardiac chromatin interaction and epigenome data. The project is located at the Institute of experimental and clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology...
UHZ Lecture 2017
Dr. Achim Lother received the Heart Center Freiburg University Young Investigator Award during this year’s UHZ Lecture. The Lecture was given by systems biology pioneer Professor Denis Noble, CBE FRS...
Pharmacology of heart failure: From basic science to novel therapies
Chronic heart failure is one of the leading causes for hospitalization in the United States and Europe, and is accompanied by high mortality. Current pharmacological therapy of chronic heart failure...
Abstract rated as Best of AHA Specialty Conferences 2016
The abstract by Lother et al., Cardiac Ly6Chigh Monocyte Accumulation and Remodeling Depend on the Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Endothelial Cells, which was presented at the American Heart Association Hypertension Council Meeting in 2016 has been...
Vascular Mineralocorticoid Receptors: Linking Risk Factors, Hypertension, and Heart Disease
MR in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells are decisive mediators of cardiovascular remodeling. They contribute to blood pressure regulation and link cardiovascular risk factors and disease. Different cellular and molecular...
Endothelial MR in hypertensive heart vs. kidney disease
Long-term arterial hypertension leads to heart and kidney injury. The goal of our study was to evaluate the effect of MR deletion in endothelial cells on organ damage in a...
Recurrent pulseless electrical activity in a patient with coronary vasospasm and supravalvular aortic stenosis
Pulseless electrical activity cardiac arrest is associated with poor outcomes and the identification of potentially reversible reasons for cardiac arrest is fundamental. We describe the case of a 46-year-old male...
Reviewed: Pharmacology of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor
Aldosterone regulates water and electrolyte homeostasis by activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, in the kidney. Clinical trials have shown a striking benefit of MR antagonists...