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Division - Diabetic Complications

Herzig Lab

Herzig Lab

About our research

Our metabolism is a complex system which is carefully regulated in order to keep our body's energy supply and demand in balance. In diabetes, the balance of glucose and lipids is lost, which can ultimately lead to long-term diabetic complications, including micro- and macro-vascular damage.

Today’s challenges in diabetes research are focused on identifying novel molecular metabolic targets which can prevent and also treat the long-term consequences of the disease.

When we lose the capability of properly regulating our metabolism, we often refer to this disease state as “the metabolic syndrome”. Insulin resistance is not only a core component of the metabolic syndrome and an early feature of pre-diabetic conditions, but also triggers the development and progression of the disease to end-stage type 2 diabetes. The diabetic complications division explores transcriptional, epigenetic and signaling components controlling systemic and tissue-specific insulin sensitivity, and tests their potential to serve as novel therapeutic platforms in diabetes prevention approaches.

Recent experimental and clinical studies show that whilst high blood sugar levels are fundamental to diabetes, the abnormal production or defective clearance of reactive metabolite species critically contribute to long-term complications in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. To support in defining and functionally characterizing pathways in abnormal diabetic metabolite generation and their impact on the development of diabetic long-term complications, the IDC has established a joint Translational Diabetes Program with the University Hospital Heidelberg, and the Collaborative Research Center 1118.

We anticipate that reactive metabolites will provide promising new targets in type 1 and type 2 diabetes therapies.

Our Team

Prof. Dr. Stephan Herzig

Director & Head of Division Diabetic Complications View profile

Dr. Bilgen Ekim Üstünel

Junior Group Leader Heidelberg

Dr. Ana Alfaro

Coordinator Drug Develompent & Industrial Collaborations

Dr. Sahika Cingir Köker

Postdoc

Sevgican Demir

Doctoral Researcher

Dr. Manuel Gil Lozano

Postdoc

Dr. Joel Guerra

Postdoc

Dr. Luke Harrison

Science Manager

Daniela Haß

Technician

Dr. Honglei Ji

Postdoc

Dr. Adriano Maida

Scientific Laboratory Director

Thainá Magalhães

Postdoc

Dr. Leonardo Matta

Postdoc

Dr. Amit Mhamane

Postdoc

Dr. Estefania Simoes Fernandez

Postdoc

Dr. Gretchen Wolff

Postdoc

Our Most Recent Publications

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Contact Us

Miriam Guhl

Administration and Coordination

3620 / 309d