Cell death activating mechanisms in the myocardium

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Ulrike Hendgen-Cotta received her Diploma in 2004 from the Ruhr University Bochum in Biology with the specialization in Parasitology and Neurobiochemistry. She performed her diploma thesis with focus on the insect vector of Chagas Disease. In 2008 she earned her Dr. rer. nat. at the University Essen-Duisburg, Faculty of Biology, under the mentorship of Prof. Rassaf and Prof. Bayer with the thesis „Myoglobin-mediated reduction of nitrite to nitric oxide: Impact on the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. Since 2009 she joined the RWTH Aachen, Department of Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology and the University Hospital Düsseldorf, Department for Cardiology, Pneumology and Angiology, as the Experimental Leader of the Heisenberg-Group of Prof. Rassaf and as Head of the Cardiology Lab since 2010. In August 2015, she moved to the University Hospital Essen where she is currently Head of the CardioScienceLabs at the Department of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine and Principal Investigator. In 2017 Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Hendgen-Cotta obtained habilitation and venia legendi in Experimental Cardiology („Impact of Nitrite and Nitrate on Pathological and Aged-related Alterations of the Cardiovascular System“).

My lab aims to integrate physiological, pharmacological, biochemical and molecular techniques to study basic and translational aspects relating to the physiopathology and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Particular interest is on myocardial injury in ischemia/reperfusion and cancer therapy with main focus on regulation of mitochondrial energetics and integrity, calcium cycle, nitric oxide metabolism, associated BNIP3 signal transduction mechanisms and posttranslational protein modification as tractable therapeutic targets.

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Currently, Stephan is examining the mechanisms of mitochondrial structural and functional damage related to cancer-therapy to find new ways to protect mitochondria from perturbation and people from developing heart failure.

With his expertise in invasive and non-invasive cardiac imaging, he is key researcher in the small-animal ultrasound facility of the CardioScienceLabs.

• German Research Foundation grant DFG HE 6317/2-1 – Ulrike Hendgen-Cotta (Nitrite-induced protection of mitochondria in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion-injury)
• Jürgen Manchot Stiftung for Jacqueline Heinen-Weiler (Identification and characterization of the ultrastructural damage of mitochondria in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury)
• Medical Faculty of University of Duisburg-Essen funding UMEA Junior Clinician Scientist Program for Stephan Settelmeier
• German Research Foundation funding UMEA Clinician Scientist Program for Stephan Settelmeier
• Medical Faculty of University of Duisburg-Essen funding W.I.R. (Winterseminar Interdisziplinär Reloaded) for Stephan Settelmeier (Investigating the in vivo biodistribution of a novel peptide tracer)

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Prof. Dr. rer. nat Elke Winterhager studied Biology from 1966-1969 at the RWTH Aachen and received her Diploma (MSc) in 1976 and in 1980 her PhD on configuration changes of rhodopsin in crayfish eyes using freeze-fracturing at the Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. She performed her Habilitation and Venia legendi in Anatomy at the Anatomy Department of the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen with the topic: Dynamic of cell membranes during implantation in rabbits.

After her research associate position at the Department of Anatomy until 1986 she took over the position of the Study Director and Head of the Department of Reproductive Toxicology at the Gruenenthal Company from 1986 to 1990. In 1990 she got her appointment as a Full Professor (C3) in Anatomy and Embryology at the Medical University of Duisburg-Essen.

After her retirement in 2013 she established the core facility for electron microscopy and was Head of the Electron Microscopic Unit, at the Medical Faculty of University of Duisburg-Essen until 2019. She had several university positions such as Vice president for Research of the University of Duisburg-Essen in 1996-2000 and in 2001-2003 Associate Dean for Research at the Medical Faculty, University Duisburg-Essen.

My former research was centered on morphological, physiological and cell/molecular biological studies of gap junctions – the intercellular channels that allow cells to directly exchange ions and metabolites- in the female reproductive tract such as hormonal regulation of cellular communication, embryo implantation and placentation. I extended my research area to clinical relevant reproductive diseases such as endometriosis, preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction with the focus on different signaling/transport molecules. To resolve the role of gap junctions and other signaling pathways in reproduction, I utilized a variety of preparations, including cell lines, primary cultures, stem cells and transfection of those. Moreover, transgenic animal models and in collaboration with the clinic human tissues were applied. In recent investigations, I try to pin structural changes combined with signaling pathways in complex tissues using different morphological approaches with the focus on 3D-TEM.

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Pia received her Diploma in Biology with the specialization in Zoology and Parasitology from the Ruhr University Bochum in 2005. In the Heisenberg-Group of Prof. Rassaf at the Heinrich-Heinrich University Düsseldorf 2010, she started her work as a Research Assistant in 2010. Since August 2015, she joined the CardioScienceLabs as head of the small animal phenotyping lab to advance other research projects and to train PhD and MD students in animal experiments according to the 3R principle.

Critical to understanding the processes involved in human cardiovascular disease is the study of comparative models in young and aged mice. They provide comprehensive insights into the extensive aspects that the term cardiovascular disease displays and new approaches to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these pathologies. Models using genetically modified mice by addition or deletion of genes allow the investigation of the causative role of individual proteins in specific cell-types and the evaluation of molecular mechanisms responsible for the development and progression of cardiovascular disease. The use of aged mice allows insights into the age-related progressive deterioration of numerous physiological processes leading to increased risk of health complications and disease. Mimicking disease using surgical models of e.g. myocardial ischemia/reperfusion or chronic ischemia in treated or untreated mice and successively examining whole organ to tissue samples to body fluids can provide important information from the (sub)cellular to the molecular level.

Find a list of my publications at Pubmed