Focus on new therapies for pulmonary hypertension

New therapies for pulmonary hypertension (PH) are the focus of the Giessen Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1213. Around 100 million people worldwide are affected by various forms of PH. The disease is characterised by remodelling processes of the pulmonary blood vessels, which impede blood flow and cause an increased strain on the right heart, leading to death in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension.

The researchers in the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1213 "Pulmonary Hypertension and Cor pulmonale" (spokesperson: DZL scientist Prof. Dr Norbert Weißmann) are pursuing the goal of deciphering the mechanisms of pulmonary hypertension and developing new therapies to treat the underlying pulmonary vascular disease and the failure of the right heart. The approval committee of the German Research Foundation (DFG) has now decided to fund the CRC at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) for a third and final term until 2028. The CRC's basic research strengthens the research work at the DZL, which bridges the gap between basic and clinical research.

"This is another great success for the outstanding heart-lung research in Giessen, which, together with its partners, has been making important contributions to treating life-threatening lung diseases for years," said JLU President Prof Dr Katharina Lorenz. "I would like to congratulate everyone involved." The continued funding of the CRC in heart-lung research is also an important boost for continuing the application of the "Cardiopulmonary Institute" (CPI) Cluster of Excellence in the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.

The Collaborative Research Centre "Pulmonary Hypertension and Cor pulmonale" is led by the Centre for Internal Medicine of the Medical Clinic II at the JLU Faculty of Medicine. Numerous scientists from the DZL at JLU, the Kerckhoff Campus of Justus Liebig University Giessen and its Department of Medicine in Bad Nauheim, Philipps University Marburg, the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim and researchers from Julius Maximilian University Würzburg are involved.

Restoring pulmonary vascular structure and function

"So far, it has only been possible to slow down the progression of pulmonary hypertension," says Prof. Dr Norbert Weißmann, Centre for Internal Medicine (Medical Clinic II) at JLU. "Based on our research work, we would like to restore normal pulmonary vascular structure and function and develop previously unavailable treatment options for the right heart."

In the second funding period, the researchers have demonstrated for various target molecules that pulmonary hypertension can be reversed.

They have also identified new triggers for pulmonary hypertension and new PH biomarkers. In addition, the Collaborative Research Centre developed a new threshold value for predicting pulmonary hypertension, which has been incorporated into the European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PH.

Fibrosis-associated PH, atrial fibrillation and the role of immune cells in PH

The researchers also focus on fibrosis-associated pulmonary hypertension in the upcoming third funding period. A second new project focuses on the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation in PH. Atrial fibrillation is of great importance for the prognosis of patients, but this has hardly been considered in research to date. The researchers will also expand their work on the identified metabolic pathways to develop therapeutic perspectives resulting from the new findings. This includes, for example, research into the role of inflammatory and immune cells in pulmonary hypertension.

The SFB 1213 research consortium combines basic scientific and clinical research. The investigations cover a broad spectrum, including genetic studies, the analysis of molecular signalling mechanisms, cell and developmental biology, preclinical disease models, imaging techniques, clinical studies, databases, and biobanks.

Campus focuses on "Lungs and Heart"

The improved understanding of the cardiopulmonary system and the fight against widespread lung and heart diseases, including systems medicine and medical informatics approaches, as well as artificial intelligence, are the central goals of the joint research activities of the researchers in the "Lung and Heart" campus focus area.

Source: Research Campus of Central Hessen