University of Giessen Lung Center

Research Overview

Hypoxia is a major phenomenon that occurs in almost all lung diseases. It results from acute as well as chronic lung failure, and may lead to cellular damage, organ failure, and death. Hypoxia not only affects the systemic circulation, but also has broad consequences for the lung itself. These can be divided into 1) beneficial adaptive mechanisms (hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction = von Euler-Liljestrand-mechanism) and 2) pathological alterations to the lung structure (chronic vascular remodeling, loss of vascular lumen area, loss of vascular compliance). Since hypoxia has such a fundamental effect on lung structure and function, it is not surprising that hypoxia plays a major role in lung aging as well. Lung aging is associated with the development of lung emphysema triggered by a) a loss of alveolar septae, b) loss of vascular compliance, and c) loss of vascular lumen area. Against this background my research group focuses on structural and functional alterations of the lung vasculature. We address two major topics:

Vasoconstriction, chronic vascular remodeling in response to alveolar hypoxia, including hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension Accelerated emphysema development under conditions of increased oxidative stress.

The overall goal of the research program is to identify the mechanisms of acute as well as chronic (patho)physiological processes, and to develop new therapeutic approaches to treat disturbances in gas exchange (by activation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction), loss of vascular lumen, loss of vascular compliance, the consequences of chronic hypoxia and lung aging.