HOME | CRC1366

Upcoming Seminars

CRC1366 / ECAS InSight

TBA AG Ola

and

TBA AG Zeigerer

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

CRC1366 / ECAS Seminars in Angioscience

Dr. Mascha Koenen

The Rockefeller University, New York, USA

Friday, September 23, 2025

Prof. Mariona Graupera

Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Spain

Friday, October 10, 2025

Events

Joint Dutch Belgium Vascular Biology Conference

September 10 - 12, 2025

Leuven| BE

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CRC1366 Extended Summer School & Consortium Meeting (internal)

May 6 - 8, 2026

Mannheim| GER

Latest Publications

Hasan SS, John D, Rudnicki M et al.

Obesity drives depot-specific vascular remodeling in male white adipose tissue.

Nat Commun. 2025 June 25

Winkler M, Staniczek T, Suhayda M et al.

Endothelial c-Maf prevents MASLD-like liver fibrosis by regulating chromatin accessibility to suppress pathogenic microvascular cell subsets.

JHEP Reports. 2025 June 6.

Liu H, Tang Y, Singh A et al.

RNF20 links the DNA damage response and metabolic rewiring in lung cancer through HIF1α.

Nat Commun. 2025 May 28

The extended role of blood vessels

Blood vessels form a systemically disseminated organ that distributes oxygen and nutrients and removes metabolic waste products. A dense network of microvessels facilitates the trafficking of immune cells throughout the body. Yet, blood vessels do not just support rheological functions. They form one of the body’s largest surfaces serving as critical interface between the circulation and the different organ environments.

Work pursued in the last couple of years has identified critical gatekeeper functions of tissue homeostasis and adaptation to pathologic challenge. It is now increasingly recognized that vascular control of the tissue microenvironment is indispensable in development, homeostasis, inflammation, and metabolism as well as cancer and metastasis. This multitude of vascular functions is mediated by organ-specifically differentiated endothelial and mural cells, whose cellular and molecular heterogeneity has long been recognized.

Yet, distinct organotypic functional attributes as well as the molecular mechanisms controlling endothelial and mural cell differentiation and vascular bed-specific functions have only recently been uncovered. The Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1366 “Vascular Control of Organ Function” aims at systematically studying gatekeeper functions of organotypically differentiated endothelial and mural cells during development and regeneration.

Überlebensstrategien - SFB 1366: Vaskuläre Kontrolle der Organfunktion

“Überlebensstrategien” is a joint project of the Life Science Collaborative Research Centers of Heidelberg University and Rhein-Neckar Fernsehen (RNF). In an interview with Wolfgang Heim, Stephanie Gehrs and Prof. Hellmut Augustin present their research questions and long-term goals.

The interview is only available in German.

Überlebensstrategien - Blutgefäße für ein langes Leben

“Überlebensstrategien” is a joint project of the Life Science Collaborative Research Centers of Heidelberg University and Rhein-Neckar Fernsehen (RNF). In an informal setting at the Karlstorbahnhof in Heidelberg and with musical accompaniment by members of the Collegium Musicum, the Collaborative Research Centres will present their questions and long-term goals.

On October 14, 2021, Prof. Hellmut Augustin, Prof. Maliha Sadick and Prof. Andreas Fischer gave a public presentation on “Gesunde Blutgefäße für ein langes Leben” (Healthy blood vessels for a long life). The presentation is only available in German.

News

The CRC1366 “Vascular Control of Organ Function” at Heidelberg University will continue its successful work for another four years

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, November 2022

Press release Heidelberg University, November 2022

Mahak Singhal receives the Helmholtz Doctoral Prize 2020

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim University Heidelberg, May 2021

Didier Stainier receives ERC Advanced Grant

Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, April 2021

Cyrill Géraud receives "Paul Langerhans-Pize" 2021

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim University Heidelberg, April 2021

Sofia-Iris Bibli receives "Emmy Noether Grant" and "Oskar-Lapp-Prize"

Institute of Vascular Signaling, Center for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, April 2021

Ralf Adams receives „Feldberg Prize“ 2021

Press release Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, February 01, 2021

Blood vessels control organ function and disease processes

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim University Heidelberg, December 04,2020

Lymphatics prevent spreading of cancer cells

Press release German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), October 26, 2020

Endothelial cell-specific factor protects metastatic tumor cells

Press release German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), May 26, 2020

HIF-1α decelerates natural Killer cells

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim University Heidelberg May 22, 2020

Prevent metastasis - an antibody with potential

Press release German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), April 24, 2020

The role of blood vessels in insulin resistance

Press release German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), March 27, 2020

Carmen Ruiz de Almodóvar receives ERC Consolidator Grant

Press release Medical Faculty Mannheim University Heidelberg Dec. 10, 2019

Andreas Fischer receives Gábor Szász Award

Press release German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Oct. 7, 2019

Überlebensstrategien im Klub K: Ein bisschen Maß muss sein

Zeitungsartikel der Rhein-Neckar Zeitung vom 13. Juli 2019

for more

Blutgefäße spielen bei einer Krebserkrankung eine wichtige Rolle: Sie ermöglichen es den Tumoren, zu wachsen und sich im Körper auszubreiten

Pressemitteilung des Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrums (DKFZ)

Bericht im Mannheimer Morgen vom 1. März 2019

Pressemitteilung zum Kickoff Meeting

Michael Platten receives the German Cancer Award 2019

Bericht im Mannheimer Morgen vom 2. März 2019

Pressemitteilung vom 23.11.2018

Grünes Licht für neuen gefäßbiologischen Sonderforschungsbereich

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) fördert die Erforschung von Mechanismen, mit denen Blutgefäße die Funktion von Organen während der Entwicklung und bei Krankheitsprozessen steuern, mit mehr als 11 Mio. Euro.

CRC1366

Vas­cular Control of Organ Function