On September 26th, 2024, Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Tsiantoulas from the Medical University of Vienna joined the TRR259 community at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf for an insightful lecture and a “Meet the Expert” session with TRR259 students. He shared his latest research on the protein APRIL and its role in cardiovascular diseases, highlighting its importance in immune system functions related to heart health. The event offered students a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research and gain valuable knowledge from an expert in molecular medicine.

We are excited to share that Philipp Barnowski has been honored with the Poster Prize at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the German Society for Matrix Biology for his poster titled “Targeting of Collagen Degradation in Marfan Mice.” The award was presented by the American Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology in recognition of the innovative and impactful research showcased.

On September 10-11, 2024, the annual retreat of the TRR 259 "Aortic Diseases" took place at the beautiful Seehotel Maria Laach. The event was a great success, offering an excellent platform for scientific exchange and advancing collaborative research efforts.

On June 18th, 2024, the University Hospital Düsseldorf successfully hosted the TRR259 International Symposium on Aortic Disease. The event took place in the lecture hall of the Surgery Department, drawing a distinguished group of experts from around the world to discuss cutting-edge research and advancements in the field of aortic disease.

For years, our research team in the TRR259 has gathered groundbreaking insights into the aorta. Now, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the American Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) have stipulated that the aorta should be considered as an independent organ in the human body.

Maria Laach, Germany - The TRR259 embarked on its second funding period with a successful Kick-Off Meeting held at the Seehotel Maria Laach on October 18-19, 2023.

On the sunny day of August 14, 2023, all scientists from the Düsseldorf site gathered for a kick-off event of the 2nd funding period of our TRR259 at Scotti’s Restaurant.

The Annual Meeting of the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) was held at McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois USA from Saturday, Nov 05 through Monday, 07 Nov. The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. The AHA conference takes place annually. The meeting provided an invaluable educational experience and an opportunity to network with top minds in the field, as well as a global community of more than 28000 Medical and Cardiology professionals from every subspecialty.