Apr 13, 2023
One of two available DZG Innovation Funds 2023/24 awarded for a collaborative research project on the gut microbiome as a functional modifier of myelopoiesis and inflammatory vascular endothelial phenotypes
One of this year's DZG Innovation Funds finances a joint research project of the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). The project, which focuses on the gut microbiome as a functional modifier of myelopoiesis and inflammatory vascular endothelial phenotypes in cardiometabolic diseases, will be funded with more than 700,000 euros over the next two years.
By taking advantage of key expertise of the teams of Prof. Dr. Christoph Reinhardt, Dr. Arash Haghikia, Dr. Klytaimistra Kiouptsi and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Carsten Deppermann at the DZHK partner sites in Mainz and Berlin, Prof. Dr. Daniela Krause from the DKTK in Frankfurt am Main as well as Prof. Dr. Triantafyllos Chavakis from the Paul-Langerhans-Institute Dresden (PLID) of the DZD, the project will study gnotobiotic Ldlr-deficient hyperlipidemia mouse models to causally explore the role of the gut microbiome and its metabolites, acting on sinusoidal endothelia in the liver and the bone marrow, relevant signaling hubs that define the development of metabolic and vascular inflammation, atherogenesis and ultimately arterial thrombus growth.
The project will use established germ-free mouse models to causally and mechanistically investigate the microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acid propionate and its impact on the sinusoidal endothelium, myelopoiesis, magakaryopoisesis and platelet reactivity. The results from various pre-clinical models will be tested for their translational impact analyzing plasma samples of an interventional study of propionate-supplemented hypercholesterolaemic humans.
Within this two-year project, Prof. Chavakis (DZD, Dresden) will provide key expertise in myelopoiesis and particularly trained myelopoiesis as a component of innate immune memory.