In future, patients with heart failure, arrhythmia, heart valve disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders in particular will benefit from the work at ICON. Covering around 2,300 square metres, the centre combines state-of-the-art infrastructure, specialised large animal models and high-resolution imaging under one roof.
‘ICON forms the bridge between basic research and clinical application. It has the best possible structural and personnel conditions for this. I know of no other institution in Europe that is so advanced in terms of modern therapeutic approaches to the heart,’ emphasises Professor Steffen Massberg, Director of the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I at LMU University Hospital. Massberg is on the board of the DZHK.
A key component of the work at ICON is the close cooperation between human and veterinary medicine, biology, genetic engineering, pharmacy and chemistry: ‘A large number of highly specialised working groups are concentrated in the building, each of which masters a spectrum of research possibilities at the highest level,’ says DZHK scientist Professor Eckhard Wolf, Chair of Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology at LMU. ‘Our goal with ICON is to use large animal models to further develop new therapeutic, diagnostic and preventive measures up to clinical maturity.’
In this interview, Steffen Massberg and Eckhard Wolf present research at ICON: Concentrated expertise for medical research transfer
Translation in focus
Employees from the LMU Clinical Centre and the LMU can test new methods directly in animal experiments for safety and efficacy for patients. New developments that arise at ICON find direct access to the clinic - an approach that is unique in cardiac medicine in Germany.
The transfer of knowledge to industry is also specifically promoted. ‘With the Martinsried Start-up Campus, we have a direct spatial connection to young companies, but we also seek cooperation with larger companies. The closer an application is to the clinic, the more important the input from industry is,’ says Massberg.
Research highlights at ICON with DZHK participation:
- Prof Steffen Massberg's working group is testing a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene therapy for the first time to correct hereditary cardiomyopathies.
- New impetus comes from the NUCLEATE Cluster of Excellence, which focuses on individualised RNA therapies. Interview with Prof Stefan Engelhardt (Technical University of Munich and Principal Investigator at the DZHK): ‘We are currently experiencing a revolution in nucleic acid research’
Source: LMU University Hospital
