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Research focus of Subarea 1.

Subarea 1: Stem Cell Aging

The individual research groups within Subarea 1 investigate the causes and consequences of stem cell aging. The research work spans from basic model organisms over genetic mouse models up to humanized mouse models engrafted with human stem cells.

According to the FLI, with the closure of two groups since 2016 the representation of invertebrate models of stem cell research was reduced in Subarea 1. The institute presumes that the recruitment of new groups should fill this gap.

The research is defined by four focus areas:

  • Cell-intrinsic mechanisms limiting the function of aging stem and progenitor cells,
  • Aging-associated alterations of stem cell niches and the systemic environment,
  • Mechanisms of clonal selection and epigenetic drifts in stem cell aging, and
  • Microbiota- and metabolism-induced impairments in stem cell function during aging (in context of the new focus area Microbiota and Aging currently being built up within Subarea 2).

Research focus of Subarea 1.

a) It is currently not well understood what mechanisms impair cellular functions in aging. b) The relative contribution of niche cells and systemic acting factors on stem cell aging have yet to be determined in different tissues. c) Clonal expansion of mutant cells associates with disease development in aging humans. Mechanistically, the process remains poorly understood. Changes in color intensity depict clonal dominance originating from stem (green) or progenitor cells (gray). d) Emerging evidences indicate that aging associated alterations in microbiota influence stem cell function and vice versa.

Publications

(since 2016)

2025

  • How I diagnose and treat patients in the pre-fibrotic phase of primary myelofibrosis (pre-PMF) - practical approaches of a German expert panel discussion in 2024.
    Griesshammer M, Al-Ali HK, Eckardt JN, Fiegl M, Göthert J, Jentsch-Ullrich K, Koschmieder S, Kvasnicka HM, Reiter A, Schmidt B, Heidel FH
    Ann Hematol 2025 (epub ahead of print)
  • Novel translational mouse models of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease comparable to human MASLD with severe obesity.
    Hupa-Breier KL, Schenk H, Campos-Murguia A, Wellhöner F, Heidrich B, Dywicki J, Hartleben B, Böker C, Mall J, Terkamp C, Wilkens L, Becker F, Rudolph KL, Manns MP, Mederacke YS, Marhenke S, Redeker H, Lieber M, Iordanidis K, Taubert R, Wedemeyer H, Noyan F, Hardtke-Wolenski M, Jaeckel E
    Mol Metab 2025 (epub ahead of print)
  • Cell-free DNA for detection and monitoring of extramedullary AML relapse.
    Hupe HC, Wienecke CP, Bartels S, Schipper E, Leßmann J, Lasch A, Bader M, Gabdoulline R, Neugebohren M, Dammann E, Kreipe HH, Lehmann U, Bergmann AK, Di Donato N, Stadler M, Eder M, Ganser A, Heidel FH, Thol F, Heuser M
    Hemasphere 2025, 9(3), e70097
  • Pathogenesis and management of high molecular risk myeloproliferative neoplasms.
    Ling VY, Heidel FH, Bywater MJ
    Haematologica 2025, 110(4), 863-76
  • Infection and herbicide exposure implicate c-Abl kinase in α-Synuclein Ser129 phosphorylation
    Marzieh E, Zeyang S, Alvaro QO, Gesa R, Mahdi R, David H, Saskia FE, Thomas FM
    bioRxiv 2025, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.
  • Malignant JAK-signaling: at the interface of inflammation and malignant transformation.
    Perner F, Pahl HL, Zeiser R, Heidel FH
    Leukemia 2025 (epub ahead of print)
  • Anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy for acquired hemophilia A.
    Schultze-Florey CR, Thol FR, Aleksandrova K, Stoyanov K, Gutierrez Jauregui R, Arseniev L, Leise J, Klöß S, Heidel** FH, Tiede** A
    Leukemia 2025, 39(4), 980-2 ** co-corresponding authors

2024

  • Imetelstat-mediated alterations in fatty acid metabolism to induce ferroptosis as a therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia.
    Bruedigam C, Porter AH, Song A, Vroeg In de Wei G, Stoll T, Straube J, Cooper L, Cheng G, Kahl VFS, Sobinoff AP, Ling VY, Jebaraj BMC, Janardhanan Y, Haldar R, Bray LJ, Bullinger L, Heidel FH, Kennedy GA, Hill MM, Pickett HA, Abdel-Wahab O, Hartel G, Lane SW
    Nat Cancer 2024, 5(1), 47-65
  • Dietary restriction interventions: lifespan benefits need resilience and are limited by immune compromise and genetics.
    Chen Y, Malik A, Rudolph KL
    Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024, 9(1), 335
  • Dominant immune tolerance in the intestinal tract imposed by RelB-dependent migratory dendritic cells regulates protective type 2 immunity.
    Geiselhöringer AL, Kolland D, Patt AJ, Hammann L, Köhler A, Kreft L, Wichmann N, Hils M, Ruedl C, Riemann M, Biedermann T, Anz D, Diefenbach A, Voehringer D, Schmidt-Weber CB, Straub T, Pasztoi M, Ohnmacht C
    Nat Commun 2024, 15(1), 9143