Research Group Basic and Translational Research
The Basic Science research group focuses on immunomodulation strategies to prevent ischemia-reperfusion injury and cardiotoxicity in cardiac surgery. Their work explores the interaction between the immune system and cardiac tissue, aiming to develop targeted therapies that reduce inflammation and improve surgical outcomes.
Recent research highlights the role of NAD+ in preventing septic shock-induced death by modulating the inflammasome and enhancing IL-10 production, offering potential insights into controlling immune responses in cardiac procedures. As part of our translational research portfolio, we focus on developing innovative solutions that can be transferred into clinical practice. A current example is the development of an implantable cardiac patch, fabricated using volumetric 3D printing. This novel tissue patch is designed to mechanically stabilize the damaged heart muscle while simultaneously promoting regeneration. In parallel, we are advancing a robotic hand system to support surgeons during cardiac procedures.
Selected publications
- Iske, J., Fatimy, R. E., Nian, Y., Ghouzlani, A., Eskandari, S. K., Biefer, H. R. C., Vasudevan, A., & Elkhal, A. (2023b). NAD+ prevents septic shock-induced death by non-canonical inflammasome blockade and IL-10 cytokine production in macrophages. eLife, 12. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.8868
- Ehrsam, J. P., Chen, J., Biefer, H. R. C., Opitz, I., Arni, S., & Inci, I. (2022b). Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion with β-Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) Improves Ischemic Lung Function. Antioxidants, 11(5), 843. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox1105084
- Ambrosini, S., Costantino, S., Mohammed, S. A., Gorica, E., Herwig, M., Van Heerebeek, L., Mengozzi, A., Karsai, G., Hornemann, T., Dzemali, O., Ruschitzka, F., Hamdani, N., & Paneni, F. (2024). Chromatin Remodeling by the Histone Methyltransferase SETD2 Drives Lipotoxic Injury in Cardiometabolic Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.25.605217
- L. S. Jones, H. Rodriguez Cetina Biefer, M. Mekkattu, Q. Thijssen, A. Amicone, A. Bock, M. Weisskopf, D. Zorndt, D. Meier, L. Zheng, M. Generali, R. K. Katzschmann, O. Dzemali, Volumetric 3D Printing and Melt-Electrowriting to Fabricate Implantable Reinforced Cardiac Tissue Patches. Adv. Mater. 2025, 2504765. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504765
