
Low NAD+ Levels Disrupt the Body’s Internal Clock During Cellular Aging
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research have now demonstrated that NAD+ levels in the heart decline with age and that NAD+ levels are directly linked to the health of the internal clock.
Beyond Mendel: Researchers call for a new understanding of genetics
Renowned scientists argue in the journal Genetics for a paradigm shift in the field of genetics.
Protein in blood vessels puts tumour cells into deep sleep
Membrane protein PEAR1 prevents the development of metastases
How muscle stem cells keep their nucleus intact to maintain regenerative power
Transcription factor TAF4A preserves nuclei in muscle stem cells and initiates muscle regeneration after injury
Protein switch in blood vessels exacerbates damage in vascular diseases
GPR153 promotes inflammatory reactions in the vessel wall in response to acute damage
Increasing complexity in the heart: How two related proteins control development of the heart
RBPMS and RBPMS2 regulate cell division and function during heart development
ERC Proof of Concept Grant Awarded to Max Planck Team for RNA-Based Therapy Targeting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, led by Prof. Dr. Didier Y.R. Stainier, has been awarded a prestigious ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) grant to advance a groundbreaking RNA-based therapeutic strategy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
You will find us at two locations in Bad Nauheim: In the New Building, Ludwigstrasse 43, and in the Old Building, Parkstrasse 1.
News from the institute

How muscle stem cells keep their nucleus intact to maintain regenerative power
October 13, 2025Transcription factor TAF4A preserves nuclei in muscle stem cells and initiates muscle regeneration after injury

Targeted activation of 'genetic self-help': Eva Luise Köhler Research Award for Didier Stainier
June 21, 2025Didier Stainier has been awarded this year's Eva Luise Köhler Research Prize for Rare Diseases for basic research into the muscle disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Once again successful in the Excellence Initiative
22 May 2025Max Planck Institute again successful together with the Universities of Giessen and Frankfurt in the German government's Excellence Initiative

Mechanism for treating muscle degeneration discovered
February 12, 2025Utrophin increase in muscle cells via transcriptional adaptation normalises cell function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Recycling is also important in the human body. A disrupted protein recycling process can harm heart health.
January 22, 2025An enzyme called Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 5 is a key factor in protein quality in heart muscle cells.
Our Research Departments

Thomas Braun
Cardiac Development and Remodelling (Dept. I)
The research in the department aims to identify the processes governing the development of contractile tissues.

Stefan Offermanns
Pharmacology (Dept. II)
The department investigates cellular signaling pathways and mechanisms of pathophysiological processes in the cardiovascular and metabolic system as well as in cancer.

Didier Stainier
Developmental Genetics (Dept. III)
The Stainier lab investigates questions related to organogenesis including cell differentiation, tissue morphogenesis, organ homeostasis and function, as well as organ regeneration.
Our Research Groups

Lei Gu
Epigenetics
The Gu Laboratory combines bioinformatics, epigenomics, cancer biology, fly genetics, and mass spectroscopy to identify and investigate the role of novel epigenetic modifications.

Pieterjan Dierickx
Circadian rhythms in heart metabolism
The Lab is interested in how the circadian clock controls rhythmic processes in the heart.

Karin Ziegler
Neurocardiac Axis – Sympathetic Neuroimmunology in Heart Failure
The research group is investigating the role of the sympathetic nervous system in cardiovascular diseases.

Reymond Sutandy
Cellular Resilience
The research group led by Dr Reymond Sutandy is investigating how cells remain resilient under stress and how mitochondria act as signalling organelles in this process.















