Over the past two days, members of the Institute of Cardiogenetics gathered at the Akademie am See in Plön for a retreat dedicated to scientific exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strategic planning.

A central focus of the meeting was the identification of projects with translational potential and translation from bench to bedside – and back again”, emphasizing the close interaction between basic research and clinical practice. Discussions focused on how scientific discoveries can be translated into improved patient care and how clinical observations can generate new research questions and drive innovation.

The institute was pleased to welcome colleagues from the Department of Cardiac Surgery, including Prof. Thomas Pühler and Dr. Nina Pommert, whose contributions enriched the discussions and highlighted the importance of close collaboration between clinicians and researchers.

A second major focus of the retreat was the future development of the institute. Participants discussed long-term visions, strategic priorities, and opportunities for further growth and collaboration. The exchange provided a valuable opportunity to align objectives, identify synergies, and define key steps for the coming years.

Set against the inspiring environment of the Akademie am See, the retreat once again demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary dialogue and the institute’s commitment to advancing translational cardiovascular research for the benefit of patients.

We are excited to be part of the newly launched EU-funded CURE-SHOCK project! CURE-SHOCK brings together leading clinical, academic and industry partners from Germany, Poland and Ukraine to advance treatment options for circulatory shock, a life-threatening condition associated with high mortality and limited causal therapies. Over the next four years, the consortium will evaluate Invobenitug, a novel antibody targeting circulating DPP3, as a precision medicine approach for septic, burn and traumatic shock. The project is coordinated by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and supported by €8 million through the Horizon Europe programme. At University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Lübeck, and the University of Lübeck, we are proud to contribute our expertise to this highly translational consortium. In addition to Prof. Tanja Zeller, several members of the Institute of Cardiogenetics are actively involved in the project, including @Teng Tong, @Tobias Reinberger, and @Jorge Duque Escobar, working closely with clinical collaborators @Elias Rawish from the University Heart Center Lübeck. “We are delighted that UKSH and the University of Lübeck are part of this outstanding European collaboration. CURE-SHOCK represents a truly translational effort, bringing together basic science, diagnostics and clinical research to address a major unmet medical need in critical care,” said Prof. Tanja Zeller and Prof. Anja Boos. Today’s kick-off meeting in Berlin marks the official start of the CURE-SHOCK project! We look forward to collaborating with our partners and sharing updates from the project over the coming years. Learn more on the website: 🌐 https://cure-shock.eu/ Follow the project on LinkedIn: 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cure-shock/

   

We warmly congratulate Raphael Betschart on successfully defending his doctoral dissertation at the University of Lübeck and the Institute of Cardiogenetics. His dissertation, entitled “Preprocessing and quality control of whole genome sequencing data,” was supervised by Prof. Dr. Tanja Zeller.

We are pleased to highlight this achievement and wish Raphael all the very best for his future scientific and professional career.

Today, we welcomed students to our institute as part of Boys’ & Girls’ Day. Under the theme “Tracing the Secrets of Genes”, participants explored the journey from patient care to genetic analysis, gaining hands-on experience in DNA isolation, cell culture, and microscopy, along with insights into cardiovascular research. A big thank you to our team for sharing their expertise and inspiring the next generation of scientists!

The Annual Meeting of the German Cardiac Society (DGK) 2026 in Mannheim has come to a close, and we look back on a great few days of science, exchange, and collaboration. Our team contributed with multiple presentations covering vascular biology, inflammation, and cardiovascular genetics, highlighting our ongoing efforts to connect basic research with clinical questions. Beyond the sessions, DGK was a valuable opportunity to engage with colleagues, share ideas, and build new connections. Thank you to everyone who joined the discussions, and we are already looking forward to the next DGK!