Division head Women and Diabetes, Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR)

+49 89 3187 2112 susanna.hofmann@helmholtz-muenchen.de

Building / Room: Campus Neuherberg, building 3620, room 306b

Prof. Susanna Hofmann, MD

Head of the Independent Research Group "Women and Diabetes" , Institute of Diabetes and Regeneration Research (IDR) and W2 Professor of Lipid Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases at the Medical Faculty of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU)

“Patients and particularly women with diabetes develop cardiovascular disease with substantial loss of life expectancy. Our mission is to investigate the molecular mechanisms causing sex specific differences in diabetic cardiovascular disease "

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Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Susanna Hofmann is a Physician Scientist, W2 Professor of Lipid Metabolism and Metabolic Diseases at the Medical Faculty of the Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and Head of the Independent Research Group "Women and Diabetes" at Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU).

After her studies at the University of Padua and the Free University of Berlin, she completed her doctoral thesis with Summa cum Laude and worked as a resident at the Medical Clinic of the LMU. Subsequently, she joined the Division of Experimental Diabetes, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, as a postdoctoral fellow with an Emmy Noether fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to study cardiovascular complications in diabetes. After a long research stay in the USA, she moved back to Munich in 2011.

The focus of her research is on gender differences in cardio-metabolic disease and the development of personalized therapeutic approaches. At LMU, she teaches the course: "Gender Medicine: Gender Aspects in Endocrinology and Diabetology" in the clinical section of the medical faculty. She is a board member of the DFG funded SFB1123 and a member of the faculty council. In addition to her reviewing activities for numerous high-ranking biomedical journals and European research funding agencies (EU Horizon 2020, FWO, La Caixa), she is Co-Editor In Chief of the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology Section Clinical Diabetes since 2020. Since 2018, she has been a board member of the German Society of Gender Medicine and has contributed to the establishment of a European Gender Health Network and a strategy for the implementation of sex and gender aspects in biomedicine and health research through her participation in the European Gender Medicine Project (EUGenMed).

Diabetes Obesity Dyslipidemia Cardiovascular disease

Sex and gender are key determinants for health and disease of each individual. Revealing their impact on metabolic disease will lead to novel personalized therapeutic approaches and improve the health and lives of women and men

Since 2021

Medical Faculty Council Member of LMU

Since 2014

since 2011

2011 Irvine H. Page Young Investigator Research Award by the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB) of the American Heart Association (AHA)
2010 BIRCWH Research Scholar Award sponsored by the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
2000 Emmy Noether Research Fellowship Award of the German Research Council (DFG)

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"Not only are women usually smaller and lighter and have smaller organs: Their metabolic processes and immune system also work slightly differently."

Aspects of metabolism and the immune system work differently in women than in men. Taking this into account paves the way to individualized therapies, says physician Susanna Hofmann in INSIGHTS magazine.

INSIGHTS reports on research at LMU — the latest findings and current debates

Sachs S, Niu L, Geyer P, Jall S, Kleinert M, Feuchtinger A, Stemmer K, Brielmeier M, Finan B, DiMarchi RD, Tschöp MH, Wewer Albrechtsen N, Mann M, Müller TD, Hofmann SM.

Plasma proteome profiles treatment efficacy of incretin dual agonism in diet-induced obese female and male mice.

Sachs S, Zarini S, Kahn DE, Harrison KA, Perreault L, Phang T, Newsom SA, Strauss A, Kerege A, Schoen JA, Bessesen DH, Schwarzmayr T, Graf E, Lutter D, Krumsiek J, Hofmann SM, Bergman BC

Intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) directly modulates skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity in humans.

Lehti M, Donelan E, Abplanalp W, Al-Massadi O, Habegger KM, Weber J, Ress C, Mansfeld J, Somvanshi S, Trivedi C, Keuper M, Ograjsek T, Striese C, Cucuruz S, Pfluger PT, Krishna R, Gordon SM, Silva RA, Luquet S, Castel J, Martinez S, D'Alessio D, Davidson WS, Hofmann SM

High-density lipoprotein maintains skeletal muscle function by modulating cellular respiration in mice.

Lutter D, Sachs S, Walter M, Kerege A, Perreault L, Kahn DE, Wolide AD, Kleinert M, Bergman BC, Hofmann SM

Skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue gene expression profiling identifies new biomarkers with prognostic significance for insulin resistance progression and intervention response Aims/hypothesis
Although insulin resistance often leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus, its early stages are often unrecognised, thus reducing the probability of successful prevention and intervention. Moreover, treatment efficacy is affected by the genetics of the individual. We used gene expression profiles from a cross-sectional study to identify potential candidate genes for the prediction of diabetes risk and intervention response.

Methods
Using a multivariate regression model, we linked gene expression profiles of human skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) to fasting glucose levels and glucose infusion rate. Based on the expression patterns of the top predictive genes, we characterised and compared individual gene expression with clinical classifications using k-nearest neighbour clustering. The predictive potential of the candidate genes identified was validated using muscle gene expression data from a longitudinal intervention study.

Results
We found that genes with a strong association with clinical measures clustered into three distinct expression patterns. Their predictive values for insulin resistance varied substantially between skeletal muscle and IMAT. Moreover, we discovered that individual gene expression-based classifications may differ from classifications based predominantly on clinical variables, indicating that participant stratification may be imprecise if only clinical variables are used for classification. Of the 15 top candidate genes, ST3GAL2, AASS, ARF1 and the transcription factor SIN3A are novel candidates for predicting a refined diabetes risk and intervention response.

Conclusion/interpretation
Our results confirm that disease progression and successful intervention depend on individual gene expression states. We anticipate that our findings may lead to a better understanding and prediction of individual diabetes risk and may help to develop individualised intervention strategies.

Becker M, Joseph SS, Garcia-Carrizo F, Tom RZ, Opaleva D, Serr I, Tschöp MH, Schulz TJ, Hofmann SM, Daniel C

Regulatory T cells require IL6 receptor alpha signaling to control skeletal muscle function and regeneration Muscle-residing regulatory T cells (Tregs) control local tissue integrity and function. However, the molecular interface connecting Treg-based regulation with muscle function and regeneration remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that exercise fosters a stable induction of highly functional muscle-residing Tregs with increased expression of amphiregulin (Areg), EGFR, and ST2. Mechanistically, we find that mice lacking IL6Rα on T cells (TKO) harbor significant reductions in muscle Treg functionality and satellite and fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells, which are required for muscle regeneration. Using exercise and sarcopenia models, IL6Rα TKO mice demonstrate deficits in Tregs, their functional maturation, and a more pronounced decline in muscle mass. Muscle injury models indicate that IL6Rα TKO mice have significant disabilities in muscle regeneration. Treg gain of function restores impaired muscle repair in IL6Rα TKO mice. Of note, pharmacological IL6R blockade in WT mice phenocopies deficits in muscle function identified in IL6Rα TKO mice, thereby highlighting the clinical implications of the findings.

Prof. Susanna Hofmann, MD

Prof. Susanna Hofmann, MD

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Research Focus and Academic Career

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Professional Career

Vice chair of the German Society for Gender Medicine (DGesGM)

W2 Professor for Lipid Metabolism and Metabolic Disease, LMU

Division Head, “Women and Diabetes”, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich

Honors and Awards

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Most important Publications

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Gendermedizin

BR Mediathek with Susanna Hofmann

Br Bayern 2

WISSENSCHAFTLERIN SUSANNA HOFMANN BEI ARD WISSEN ZU GENDERMEDIZIN

Networks and Affiliations

Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geschlechtsspezifische Medizin (DGesGM)

CRC 1123: Atherosclerosis - Mechanisms and Networks of Novel Therapeutic Targets

FOR 5298: iMAGO - Personalisierte Diagnostik für die Adipositas Therapie

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