Research

The Department of Cell Biology focuses primarily on the development, regulation and function of precursor and stem cells in muscle and adipose tissue.

One focus of our research is on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Stromal cells were long disregarded and mainly regarded as ‘filler material’, but these cells have now been recognised as important mediators in the cellular interaction of our organs and already have therapeutic significance. We want to understand how MSCs become central signal mediators in the form of tissue-organising cells and are investigating this in muscle but also in other contexts such as adipose tissue or the lymphatic system.

The second focus is on muscle stem cells (known as satellite cells) as a classic example of somatic stem cells. We are particularly interested in how the activation and deactivation of these stem cells is controlled in interaction with extrinsic and intrinsic factors. We are investigating the interaction of stem cells with their niche, as well as their transcriptional and metabolic regulation.

In our research, we combine developmental biology with the study of regenerative and degenerative processes. In this way, we aim to understand how genetic networks that function in development become deregulated in disease processes, and how early perturbation of these networks can have long-term epigenetic effects and cause later diseases.