Research Groups
Prof. Dr. Tobias Huber
Tobias Huber’s group aims to understand signaling pathways regulating glomerular maintenance and their deregulation during disease and aging. The group has developed several mouse models of kidney aging. These models will allow a comprehensive in vivo analysis of molecular networks driving organ aging.
Homepage of Prof. Tobias Huber
Prof. Dr. Matias Simons
Matias Simon’s group is working in the field of Drosophila genetics and cell biology. His group investigates common genes expressed by Drosophila nephrocytes and human podocytes. The group is investigating the function of nephrocytes and is establishing a nephrocytes–specific gene silencing system as in vivo validation platform for the rapid analysis of kidney related genes identified by groups in the consortium.
Homepage of Prof. Dr. Matias Simons
Dr. Kathrin Thedieck
The group of Kathrin Thedieck focuses on the analysis of insulin/TOR signaling that links metabolism to aging, lifespan and disease. The expertise of this group lies in automated C. elegans autophagy and lifespan screens to identify genes involved in aging. The data generated in C. elegans longevity model will inform on homologous processes in mouse and human.
Homepage of Dr. Kathrin Thedieck
Dr. Jörn Dengjel
The focus of Jörn Dengjel’s research is to study the protein dynamics during autophagy. His group investigates autophagy-relevant signaling events, and global dynamics of protein turnover using quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics and functional image analysis. For NephAge program, protein networks dynamics are investigated using genetic mouse models and physiological-aging mice established by the other consortium members. Easy measurable ‘aging markers’ from these mice are identified through metabolomic urine analysis.
PD Dr. Anna Köttgen, M.P.H.
Anna Köttgen’s group is working on the identification and characterization of genetic and non-genetic risk factors for chronic kidney disease and reduced renal function in studies of patients with kidney disease (GCKD Study, ) and in population-based cohorts. Data from human studies, such as results from genome-wide association studies that pinpoint candidate renal disease genes, can be integrated with results generated in mice by other NephAge groups, in order to identify novel pathways involved in kidney aging. Conversely, target markers of kidney aging identified in model organisms of kidney diseases will be measured in blood or urine of kidney disease patients to test their pathophysiological relevance and predictive ability in humans.
CV of PD Dr. Anna Köttgen, M.P.H.
Homepage of PD Dr. Anna Köttgen, M.P.H.
Prof. Dr. Anke Becker
Anke Becker has a long-standing expertise in the fields of high-throughput structural and functional genomics as well as data management including systematic storage and data standardization. The group has established a platform that employs a relational database management system and will be found on a detailed data model designed for systematic storage of qualitative and quantitative data from the experimental and computational modeling work of all NephAge groups and existing resources.
Homepage of Prof. Dr. Anke Becker
Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries
Melanie Börries performs short-term dynamics experiments to generate time-resolved gene expression patterns and constitutes the experimental branch of the systems biology modeling cycle together with Hauke Busch. They generate quantitative dynamic data from well-defined cell culture systems for kidney cells on proteomic and transcriptomic level as input for and validation of the mathematical models and methods developed by the other NephAge group members.
Homepage of Dr. Dr. Melanie Börries
Dr. Hauke Busch
The group of Hauke Busch combines experimental research on cell-cell communication with the development of appropriate multi-scale computer models together with Melanie Börries. The group develops global cell dynamic models on the time scale of hours and days to capture cellular decisions that will be combine with detailed pathway models.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Lebiedz
The research of Dirk Lebiedz focuses on the development of mathematics/numerical algorithms and application oriented modeling and scientific computing in systems biology. The group contributes expertise in model reduction methods in order to generate an integrated model for cell (dys)function related to aging from the multi-scale dynamic modeling approach delivered by the other groups.
Dr. Zhike Zi
Expertise in kinetic modeling of cellular signaling pathways comes from the group of Zhike Zi. The group has developed methods for parameter estimation and dynamic analysis of the mathematical models for cellular networks. In the NephAge consortium Zhike Zi links altered phenotype outcomes upon stresses (e.g. oxidative, nutrient stress), growth factors (e.g. insulin) or other stimuli.