Our bodies constantly face changing conditions. To survive, our cells must rapidly detect changes in their environment and mount a well-balanced response.

Our overarching aim is to understand how our cells detect changes in their environment, pass environmental information onto the nucleus, and modulate their epigenetic and transcriptional states to rapidly adapt. To do so, we study the molecular mechanisms that mediate the link between the metabolic environment and the epigenetic landscape.

Given the rapid rise in metabolic disease, we aim to clinically translate our findings. Our goal is to identify and find ways to reverse molecular and epigenetic signatures that promote the development of metabolic and vascular disorders, and thereby improve patient outcomes. To this end, we work closely with clinicians and patients at the University Hospital in Leipzig.