University of Regensburg

The Institute for Laboratory Medicine and Transfusion Medicine combines basic research with evidence-based medicine and clinical studies enabling a rapid transfer of newly identified candidate biomarkers from basic science to clinical diagnostics. The institute has long-term experience in biobanking (Danubian Biobank Project) and pre- and post-analytical procedures for sensible biological materials; core competence in cytomics (blood cells, adipocytes, hepatocyes) and systems health (BMBF “SysMBo” project) of metabolic and degenerative and rare diseases; and focuses on the central role of regulatory networks in the pathogenesis of these disorders (multiomics analysis) using systemic functional approaches. Specific long-standing experience in the isolation, handling and characterisation of cells from liquid and tissue compartments (macrophages, adipose tissue, liver, muscle tissue, etc.) is a core competence of the Institute. The available technologies in cellular analysis and liquid proteomics include high throughput platforms for molecular lipid species (LipidomicNet, www.lipidomicnet.org), metabolomic, proteomic (cooperation with Proteomic Center NRW) and (epi)genomic analysis (DEEP), mass spectrometry, NMR, gene array systems, HT-Taqman analysis, multiparameter flow cytometry and high content imaging.

Gerd Schmitz, Professor of Laboratory Medicine is a director of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine and Transfusion Medicine at University Hospital Regensburg. He has extensive expertise in pathobiochemistry and cytomics of in metabolic, cardiovascular and degenerative and other diseases. Since 2008 the Institute coordinates LipidomicNet, an Large scale FP7 collaborative project in which 26 partners form academia and industry are working on lipid droplets as dynamic organelles towards the identification of biomarkers related to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obesity and hepatic steatosis. Within the DEEP project, in close cooperation with FP7-LipidomicNet, the question will be addressed how epigenetic alterations contribute to diabesity and fully expressed metabolic syndrome. In the subproject 4.3, using the lipidomics techniques and epigenomic skills of the DEEP partners, comparing epigenetic patterns of normal individuals and patients with diabesity, our group will focus on

1. epigenomic analysis of adipocytes, blood monocytes (CD14+,CD33+) and macrophages (CD68+ M1/M2)
2. on investigation of the long term influence of environmental effects
3. on analysis of miRNA patterns in immunomagnetic nanobead isolated monocytes in diabesity and fully expressed metabolic syndrome as well as
4. analysis of 40 ranked miRNAs.

In cooperation with Subproject 4.1, adipocyte epigenetics will be coupled with analysis of hepatocytes of NAFLD patients.

Principal Investigator

Additional Team Members