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PD Dr. Dr. John Heiker

Group Leader at "Molecular Obesity Research", Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic Obesity and Vascular Research

PD Dr. Dr. John Heiker

Group Leader at "Molecular Obesity Research", Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic Obesity and Vascular Research

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Academic Career

John studied chemistry at the University of Leipzig and transitioned to Biochemistry during his Diploma and PhD research at the Institute of Biochemistry in the group of Prof. Annette G. Beck-Sickinger. During his PhD as a fellow of the Studienstiftung he worked within the Clinical Research Group (KFO152) “Atherobesity” focusing on molecular mechanisms of adipokines in obesity-associated insulin resistance using in vitro and in vivo models of the obesity disease.

From 2010-2012, he joined the group of Prof. Matthias Blüher in the Department of Medicine, Endocrinology and Diabetes at the University of Leipzig for his postdoctoral studies, before starting his independent junior research group “Molecular Medicine” back at the Institute of Biochemistry and funded by the European Regional and Development Fund in 2013. He joined the Clinical Research Center (SFB 1052) “Obesity mechanisms” as a PI in 2014.

His group is interested in molecular mechanisms that underlie or contribute to the human disease of obesity and its comorbidities. One main focus is on the role of proteases and their serpin inhibitors in white and brown adipose tissue function. The group furthermore investigates factors and mechanisms that regulate energy intake, storage and expenditure, all with the aim to identify new targets for obesity treatment.

In July 2019, John started as leader of an independent group at the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) of Helmholtz Munich at the University of Leipzig and University Hospital Leipzig.

His research group is associated with the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Leipzig and as of February 3, 2020, John is a private lecturer (PD) at the Institute of Biochemistry.

Research Areas and Expertise

Adipokines, Recombinant Protein Expression, Adipose Tissue, Metabolism, Serpins, Proteases

Important Career Steps

2020

Habilitation in "Biochemistry / Molecular Biology" and Private Lecturer (PD) at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig

since 2019

Leader of the Junior Research Group "Molecular Obesity Research" at the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research of the Helmholtz Zentrum München at the University of Leipzig

2013–2019

Leader of the Junior Research Group Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University

Part of the CRC (SFB) 1052 "Obesity Mechanisms"

2010-2012

Postdoctoral Scientist at the Medical Department III - Endocrinology, Nephorlogy, Rheumatology, University Clinic Leipzig

2006-2010

PhD at the Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig

Studienstiftung Fellowship

Honors and Awards

Friedrich Weygand Prize
of the Max-Bergmann-Kreis
2013
Participant 61st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
2011
PhD Prize
Research Academy Leipzig
2010

Complete List of Publications by John Heiker

2023 Frontiers in Endocrinology (2023), 14:1146454

Rapöhn I, Elias I, Weiner J, Pujol A, Kehr S, Chadt A, Al-Hasani H, Burkhard R, Klöting N, Stumvoll M, Bosch F, Kovacs P, Heiker JT, Breitfeld J

Overexpressing High Levels of Human Vaspin Limits High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Enhances Energy Expenditure in a Transgenic Mouse

2022 Clinical and Translational Medicine (2022), 12:e1108

Christen L, Broghammer H, Rapöhn I, Möhlis K, Strehlau C, Ribas-Latre A, Gebhardt C, Roth L, Krause K, Landgraf K, Körner A, Rohde-Zimmermann K, Hoffmann A, Klöting N, Ghosh A, Sun W, Dong H, Wolfrum C, Rassaf T, Hendgen-Cotta U, Stumvoll M, Blüher M, Heiker JT, Weiner J

Myoglobin-Mediated Lipid Shuttling Increases Adrenergic Activation of Brown and White Adipocyte Metabolism and is as a Marker of Thermogenic Adipocytes in Humans

2018 Cell Mol Life Sci. 2018 Feb;75(4):727-742

Zieger K, Weiner J, Kunath A, Gericke M, Krause K, Kern M, Stumvoll M, Klöting N, Blüher M, Heiker JT

Ablation of Kallikrein 7 (KLK7) in Adipose Tissue Ameliorates Metabolic Consequences of High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity by Counteracting Adipose Tissue Inflammation in vivo.

2017 Mol Metab. 2017 Jun; 6(6): 482–493

Weiner J, Rohde K, Krause K, Zieger K, Klöting N, Kralisch S, Kovacs P, Stumvoll M, Blüher M, Böttcher, Y, Heiker JT

Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) Specific Vaspin Expression is Increased after Obesogenic Diets and Cold Exposure and Linked to Acute Changes in DNA-Methylation.

2013 Cell Mol Life Sci. 2013; 70(14): 2569–2583

Heiker JT, Klöting N, Kovacs P, Küttner EB, Sträter N, Schultz S, Kern M, Stumvoll M, Blüher M, Beck-Sickinger AG

Vaspin Inhibits Kallikrein 7 by Serpin Mechanism