Research themes at ICON LMU

ICON addresses the urgent need for translational advances in cardiovascular and endocrine diseases. Its interdisciplinary program is structured into three interconnected research themes, each leveraging large animal models, multimodal imaging, and systems-level analytics to bring new diagnostics and therapies to clinical practice.

Endocrine and Metabolic Dysfunction

This focus area tackles the complex pathophysiology of diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and the metabolic syndrome, all major drivers of cardiovascular morbidity.
Key research pillars include:

  • Development of genetically engineered pig models for diabetes and metabolic syndrome
  • Analysis of multi-organ metabolic dysfunction and immune-mediated effects, including macrophage reprogramming
  • Investigation of the gut microbiome's role in disease progression
  • Evaluation of innovative therapies: xenogeneic islet cell transplantation, metabolic surgery, neuromodulation
  • Use of multi-omics pipelines and the Munich MIDY Pig Biobank to profile disease mechanisms and therapy responses

This theme builds a detailed understanding of systemic endocrine influence on cardiovascular outcomes​.

Vascular Disease Mechanisms

This theme centers on atherosclerosis, atherothrombosis, and genetically linked vascular diseases. It seeks to:

  • Elucidate the inflammatory and thrombotic mechanisms driving disease
  • Study immune cell interactions, particularly NETs and tissue factor–driven pathways
  • Validate anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic agents in preclinical models
  • Advance non-invasive diagnostics through PET-CT, MSOT, NIRF, and new radiopharmaceutical tracers

The group uses ICON’s models to identify mechanisms of immune thrombosis and early atherosclerosis, including imaging-guided detection of vulnerable plaques​.

Myocardial, Rhythm, and Valve Diseases

This mission focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, and heart failure, including HFpEF and terminal heart failure. Research highlights include:

  • Mapping arrhythmia development using 3D mapping, miRNA analysis, and biosignal tracking
  • Exploring atrial fibrosis, autonomic dysregulation, and structural remodeling
  • Developing biomarkers and imaging techniques for prosthetic valve thrombosis detection
  • Evaluating therapies from miRNA modulation to mechanical support systems and TAVI optimization
  • Investigating heart failure phenotypes, from molecular drivers to advanced interventions including transplantation models

ICON leverages its porcine models and omics platforms to personalize cardiac therapy development

Research Groups at ICON

ICON unites over a dozen expert-led research groups across medicine, veterinary science, molecular biology, and imaging. Each group contributes unique expertise to the center’s mission of translational innovation in endocrine and cardiovascular disease.


[Research groups]