Munich Heart Alliance
Translational strategies for prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease
The Munich Heart Alliance Centre (MHA Centre) as part of the German Cardiovascular Research Centre
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. According to the WHO at least half of the deaths and disabilities resulting from CHD could be avoided by improved primary or secondary prevention. Improved prevention of CHD requires a better understanding of the pathomechanisms and a faster and more efficient translation of novel leads into clinical application. We propose the establishment of the Munich Heart Alliance (MHA) Centre as a node of the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (GCRC). The mission of the MHA Centre is to accelerate the development of strategies to prevent and treat CHD. To fulfill this mission, the MHA Centre will focus on the following scientific objectives, each addressed by a distinct research program:
- to identify on a population level risk factors predisposing to CHD
- to model CHD in order to dissect the underlying mechanisms
- to develop novel therapeutic strategies against CHD
The Munich research area is the ideal site to address these goals, as it combines excellent basic and clinical research on the disease mechanisms and interventions to prevent and treat CHD. In particular, Munich provides the nation's leading cardiovascular framework with regards to the conduct of large clinical phase III/IV trials.
Built on this expertise, the MHA Centre aims to accelerate the translation of mechanistic findings into clinical application. Through the foundation of the MHA Centre, we will achieve the following structural goals:
- to focus the broad local cardiovascular expertise onto the common topic CHD,
- to establish research groups at the interface of basic and clinical science,
- to join the forces of these interdisciplinary groups under the roof of the MHA Centre.
As a node in the GCRC, the MHA Centre will contribute its unique epidemiological resources (e.g. KORA) and its leading clinical trial infrastructure and serve as a platform for the efficient translation of novel therapeutic concepts in CHD.
Coordinator:
Prof. Dr. C. Weber
Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Pettenkoferstrasse 9, 80336 München
Co-coordinator:
Prof. Dr. Dr. S. Engelhardt
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Technische Universität München
Biedersteiner Straße 29, 80802 München
Weitere informationen: Munich Heart Alliance (2Mbyte)