Mission and Structure

Mission

The Berlin Center for Translational Vascular Biomedicine (VasBioBerlin) integrates research activities at three major life science institutions - the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. With this, the Center shapes an unprecedented cluster and nucleus that connects and inspires vascular biology research activities in Berlin. Through the synergistic approach of the Center creativity, know-how and technologies are bundled to ultimately develop new therapies and personalized approaches for diagnostics and treatment of a variety of progressive diseases.

VasBioBerlin aims to prevent and revert morbidity and progressive end organ damage in vascular diseases by unravelling, conceptualizing and treating local and systemic causes and clinical manifestation of vascular dysfunction. It combines interdisciplinary experimental and clinical research on the basis of clinical cohorts, novel humanized disease models and generative computational modelling approaches.

Guided by the integrative nature, vascular research benefits from and nourishes research activities in neuroscience, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic research, immunology and cancer, pursuing cross-organ questions of vascular biomedicine and offering manifold interactions with the existing research activities in Berlin. Translational vascular biomedicine ultimately aims to develop strategies for personalized treatment of vascular diseases, inspire interdisciplinary scientists and clinicians with a translational mindset and research agenda, and train new generations of pioneering translational scientists.

Composition of the Center

The Center is governed by the Steering Committee, which develops the strategic direction in agreement with the Board of Directors from BIH, Charité and MDC, coordinates the award of project funds within the Center and fosters the scientific exchange by hosting scientific events. The Steering Committee is composed of nine senior scientists, see table below. The Steering Committee meets monthly.

Sounding Board and Core Faculty

Additionally, an external sounding board with international experts from the field advises the Center regarding its international visibility, the selection of project funds and the strategic development of the Center. It is composed of the following members:

• Gabriele Bergers (VIB Leuven, Belgium)
• Keith Channon (University of Oxford, UK)
• Lena Claesson-Welsh (Uppsala University, Sweden)
• Filippo Crea (Catholic University of Rome, Italy)
• Stefanie Dimmeler (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Germany)
• Timothy Hla (Boston Children’s Hospital, USA)
• Klaus Ley (La Jolla Institute for Immunology, USA)
• Ton Rabelink (University of Leiden, Netherlands)

The current Core Faculty of the Center includes Prof. Holger Gerhardt (MDC, Integrative Vascular Biology) and Prof. Michael Potente (BIH, Angiogenesis & Metabolism). The faculty was recently expanded with the recruitment of Dr Daria Bunina (Systems biology of cardiovascular and neuronal pathologies) and Dr Yoichiro Sugimoto (Molecular mechanisms of environment sensing). All research groups are located at the Käthe-Beutler Building on Campus Buch. More information about the research groups can be found here.