About Us
The Institute for Cardiogenetics has its origins in a research group of Molecular Cardiovascular Genetics headed by Prof. Heribert Schunkert and Prof. Jeanette Erdmann at the Medical Clinic II at the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) in 2004.
Our team members apply in-silico as well as in-vitro and in-vivo methods to further unravel the genetics of cardiovascular diseases.
The Institute for Cardiogenetics is engaged in large networks of national and international collaborations (like CARDIoGRAM, CARDIoGRAMplusC4D, and GIANT) and actively participates in data and sample exchange.
We are funded by national (BMBF, DFG) and international (EU, Leducq) agencies as well as local fundings (University of Lübeck). Furthermore, we are part of the partnersite Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck within the DZHK e.V. (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and the Excellence Cluster „Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation“.
There is an urgent need to progress beyond current state-of-the-art genetics by adding further levels of -omics data and approaches that include markers of regulatory function.
By integrating bioinformatical, epidemiological, clinical and experimental data, we propose to elucidate the functional basis of already-known genetic loci, as well as identify novel pathways to further understand the pathomechanisms leading to these life-threatening diseases.
To fulfill these overarching goals the Institute hosts an interdisciplinary as well as international research team of 25 scientists, PhD and MD students and technicians.
History
2004
Kick-off of the working group for Cardiovascular Genetics at the Medizinische Klinik II. We started with two technicians (still working in our Institute), two PostDocs (now head and deputy head of the Institute), and five medical doctors.
2007
This was one of our most important year; we published our first genome-wide association paper for coronary artery disease (CAD) in the New England Journal of Medicine. We completed our working group with more technicians and our first PhD student started her work.
2009/2010
Funding by the EU and the BMBF allowed to hire more PostDocs and PhD students. Over the next years the working group expanded and worked successfully in unravelling at least part of the genetic secret of CAD.
2012
This picture was taken shortly before Prof. Schunkert moved to Munich. Some of the team members are now working at the Deutsches Herzzentrum München.
2017
This picture was taken at the end of 2017.