The Cardiac Theme, led by Professor Elisabeth Ehler, focuses on normal function of the heart and provides the basis for understanding pathological changes.
Researchers in the Cardiac Theme work across the entire scale, from the molecule (structural biology, molecular dynamics), via multiprotein complexes (assembly and signalling pathways), the cell (cytoarchitecture, changes in protein expression, changes in metabolism) to physiology (analysis of animal models of heart disease as well as validation of findings in heart samples from human patients) and -omics (global analysis of molecules). In addition, we carry out high throughput screens that are aimed to yield an unbiased expansion of information on signalling pathways that are relevant for heart disease (proliferation, autophagy, protein stability). All these efforts are targeted at understanding the basis of heart disease better and will help to develop translational strategies that can expand the currently limited repertoire of drugs that specifically address heart malfunction.