CANCELLED: 'Translational Pharmacology: Novel mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities of the 'old' second messenger cyclic AMP'

It is becoming increasingly clear that signaling pathways are executed after clustering of molecular partners in defined subcellular compartments (signalosomes) that enables cells to exert highly specialized tasks. Actually, the goal of my research group is to unravel the organization of the recently discovered signaling components within functional units by biochemical, molecular and cell biological methods. A second goal will be to further define how these novel pathways regulate physiological processes in cell, tissue and organ systems research areas of integrative pharmacology and translational medicine.

We have directed our attention to chronic inflammatory disorders, as evidence exist for a role of our signaling components (Epac, PLD) in vascular smooth muscle cells, neuronal cells, immune cells as well as cardiomyocytes and airway smooth muscle cells. Many devastating diseases, e.g. cancer, type-II diabetes mellitus, Alzheimers?s dementia, cardiovascular and airway diseases (heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, developmental defects, asthma and COPD), and infection diseases are associated with defective or derailed signaling processes, and research into the control of these processes clearly is of great public and social importance as well. The proposed goals clearly demand a multidisciplinary proceeding, and continuing and new collaborations with local, national and international groups will be increasingly important to finish successful projects and to continue the strong and high-ranking publication output. My research group integrates in vivo, ex vivo translational pharmacology, molecular (cell) biology. Novel techniques like microfluidics, precision cut lung slices and others.