Walter Brendel Center for Experimental medicine (Dept. of Surgery)

Project description:

Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with chronic inflammation increasingly recognized as a key driver of disease progression. This PhD project aims to investigate the role of inflammasome activation in the development and progression of heart failure. The successful candidate will explore the molecular mechanisms linking cardiac stress, innate immune signaling, and inflammasome-mediated inflammation using a translational large-animal model of pressure overload-induced heart failure (aortic banding in swine).

The project will focus on identifying key inflammasome pathways involved in adverse cardiac remodeling and disease progression. Utilizing unique transgenic swine models, the candidate will examine the contribution of specific inflammasome components to hemodynamic alterations. The research will integrate advanced molecular and cellular techniques with in vivo cardiovascular phenotyping, providing comprehensive insight into inflammatory mechanisms driving heart failure.

The candidate will gain extensive expertise in cardiovascular biology, immunology, large-animal disease models, advanced molecular methodologies, and translational biomedical research within a multidisciplinary and collaborative research environment. This project offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to a deeper understanding of inflammatory mechanisms in heart failure and to support the development of novel therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disease.