11th DZHK Retreat
& Young DZHK Retreat
10 - 11 Sep & 11 - 12 Sep 2025
in Heidelberg, Marriott Hotel
Thank you to the more than 250 participants who attended the DZHK Retreat in Heidelberg. Tell us what you liked. Tell us what you would change. You can give your Feedback here:
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DZHK Retreat 2025 (11-12 Sep)
We're giving you a sneak peek at the future of the DZHK! The programme will centre around our six new strategic focus areas that will shape both the retreat programme and the direction of our network in the years to come. At the 11th DZHK Retreat in Heidelberg, we will present our research strategy for 2026–2030.
Leading researchers from across the DZHK network will share insights into the new focus areas:
- Cardiomyopathies
- HFpEF
- Immunocardiology
- Regenerating hearts
- Ageing hearts and vessels
- Heart and brain
Young DZHK Retreat 2025 (10-11 Sep)
Registration is closed. We thank all Young DZHK scientists who have submitted an abstract by 1 June 2025. We will inform all applicants about the acceptance of their abstract in mid-July 2025.
All participants of the Young DZHK Retreat (10-11 Sep) are automatically registered for participating in the DZHK Retreat (11-12 Sep).
Organising Team:
Romy Hribal, Sarah Mempel & Christine Vollgraf, contact: retreat@dzhk.de
Registration
Registration is closed. We thank all Young DZHK scientists who have submitted an abstract by 1 June 2025. We will inform all applicants about the acceptance of their abstract in mid-July 2025.
All participants of the Young DZHK Retreat (10-11 Sep) are automatically registered for participating in the DZHK Retreat (11-12 Sep).
Registration for the DZHK Retreat is closed. All participants have received a confirmation.
Programme Retreat
Please note that the programme is subject to minor changes.
Primary language of the Retreat will be English.
Thursday, 11 Sep
| 13:00 - 14:00 | Registration and welcome coffee |
| 14:00 - 18:15 | Programme day 1 |
Friday, 12 Sep
| 08:30 - 16:10 | Programme day 2 |
| 16:10 - 16:30 | Farewell coffee |
Thursday, 11 September 2025
13:00-14:00 — Registration & welcome coffee
Opening
14:00-14:30 — Welcoming adress
Session 1 — Focus Area Immunocardiology
14:30-15:30
Chairs: Florian Leuschner (Heidelberg), Konstantin Stark (München), Tanja Zeller (Lübeck)
Flash talks partner site projects:
- Immunocardiology at partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim | Florian Leuschner (Heidelberg)
- Immunocardiology at partner site Munich | Konstantin Stark (Munich)
- Immunocardiology at partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck | Tanja Zeller (Lübeck)
- Immunocardiology at partner site Rhine-Main | Marcel Schulz (Frankfurt am Main)
- Immunocardiology at partner site Berlin | Denitsa Meteva (Berlin)
- Immunocardiology methods and opportunities | Philipp Wild (Mainz)
Impulse talks:
- Targeting immune checkpoints to treat atherosclerosis | Dorothee Atzler (Munich)
- Targeting sphingolipid metabolism in cardiometabolic disease: from mechanistic insights to precision therapeutics | Elias Rawish (Lübeck)
15:30-16:00 — Group photo & coffee break
Biotech Session
16:00-17:30
Chair: Thomas Eschenhagen (Hamburg)
- BioRN translational initiatives at the interface between academia and industry | Julia Schaft, BioRN Cluster Management GmbH (Heidelberg)
- From bench to boardroom: Scientific training as a foundation for venture capital | Marie Allen Schroeder, Novo Holdings (Kopenhagen)
- The Finerenone Story – From its discovery to clinical development | Mario Berger, Bayer AG (Wuppertal)
Session 2 — Focus Area HFpEF
17:30-18:30
Chairs: Gabriele Schiattarella (Berlin), Eike Nagel (Frankfurt), Sandy Engelhardt (Heidelberg)
Flash talks partner site projects:
- Targeted nutritional and exercise strategies for HFpEF in the aging demographic | Michael Gotthardt (Berlin)
- Microvascular disease in heart failure | Daphne Merkus (Munich)
- Development of an HDAC4 activity assay to guide tailored HFpEF therapies | Johannes Backs (Heidelberg)
- Sympathetically driven large artery stiffness and ventriculo-arterial coupling in HFpEF | Karl-Philipp Rommel (Mainz)
- Translation of individualized treatment strategies for HFpEF in structural heart disease | Derk Frank (Kiel)
Impulse talks:
- AI in HFpEF | Anja Hennemuth (Berlin)
- HFpEF population studies | Philipp Wild (Mainz)
- Intercellular crosstalk in HFpEF | Laura Wienecke (Heidelberg)
18:30-20:30 — Dinner
Friday, 12 September 2025
Highlights from the Young DZHK Retreat
08:45-09:30
Session 3 — Focus Area Cardiovascular Ageing
09:30-10:30
Chairs: Christina Magnussen (Hamburg), Guillermo Luxán (Frankfurt)
Flash talks partner site projects:
- Cardiovascular Ageing at partner site Berlin | Michael Potente (Berlin)
- Cardiovascular Ageing at partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck | Christina Magnussen (Hamburg)
- Cardiovascular Ageing at partner site Munich | Hailong He (Munich)
- Cardiovascular Ageing at partner site Rhine-Main | Stefanie Dimmeler (Frankfurt)
Impulse talks:
- Cancer-therapy induced accelerated cardiovascular aging – Identification of high-risk patients and effects of exercise training | Stephan Müller (Munich)
- Somatic mutations as drivers of age-related cardiovascular diseases | Andreas Zeiher (Frankfurt)
10:30-11:15 — Coffee break & checking out of rooms
Session 4 — Focus Area Precision Management of Cardiomyopathies
11:15-12:15
Chairs: Benjamin Meder (Heidelberg), Daniela Panáková (Kiel)
- Introduction to the Focus Area Cardiomyopathies: How the field evolves | Benjamin Meder (Heidelberg)
Impulse talks:
- Pathogenicity of genetic variants in zebrafish | Daniela Panáková (Kiel)
- Atrial Fibrillation: An underestimated Genetic Disease. From genetic vulnerability to targeted therapy | Larissa Fabritz (Hamburg)
- Understanding the mechano-signalling role of the Z-disc in cardiomyopathies | Claudia Crocini (Berlin)
- CaMKII Inhibition in genetic cardiomyopathy | Maarten van den Hoogenhof (Heidelberg)
12:15-13:15 — Lunch break
Session 5 — Focus Area Regenerating Hearts
13:30-14:30
Chairs: Alessandra Moretti (Munich), Malte Tiburcy (Göttingen)
Flash talks partner site projects:
- Regenerating Hearts at partner site Berlin | Mariya Kucherenko (Berlin)
- Regenerating Hearts at partner site Lower Saxony | Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann (Göttingen)
- Regenerating Hearts at partner site Munich | Alessandra Moretti (Munich)
- Regenerating Hearts at partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck | Thomas Eschenhagen (Hamburg)
- Regenerating Hearts at partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim | Florian Constanty (Heidelberg)
Impulse talks:
- The interplay of metabolism and epigenetics in the regulation of cardiac regeneration | Xuejun Yuan (Bad Nauheim)
- Cell state transitions in zebrafish heart regeneration | Jan Philipp Junker (Berlin)
- DNA methylation and cardiac fibrosis: Implications for prognosis and therapy | Elisabeth Zeisberg (Göttingen)
14:30-15:00 — Coffee break
Session 6 — Focus Area Heart and Brain Interaction
15:00-16:00
Chairs: Julian Wagner (Frankfurt), Constanze Schmidt (Göttingen)
Flash talks partner site projects:
- Mechanisms of stroke-heart syndrome: stress pathways and inflammation | Ria Göttert (Göttingen)
- Takotsubo syndrome – exploring the precursor stages | Marcello Markus (Greifswald)
- Targeted prevention of (sub)clinical cerebro- and cardiovascular disease risk phenotypes | Elke Oetjen (Hamburg)
- Decoding heart-brain interactions: from high-dimensional data to precision treatment and prevention | tba
Impulse talks:
- Triangular relations of heart failure, arrhythmias and cerebrovascular disease (TriHAnCle) | Amelie Ohlrogge (Hamburg)
- Targeting neuro-vascular cross-talk in rare neurodevelopmental disorders | Daria Bunina (Berlin)
- Understanding autonomic dysfunction in HF with longitudinal high-dimensional data | Philipp Wild (Mainz)
Closing Remarks
16:00-16:10
16:10-16:30 — Farewell coffee
Programme Young Retreat
Wednesday, 10 Sep
| 11:00 - 12:00 | Registration and lite bites |
| 12:00 - 19:30 | Programme day 1 |
Thursday, 11 Sep
| 08:30 - 13:00 | Programme day 2 |
| 14:00 | Start DZHK Retreat |
Detailed programme with short talks, oral sessions and poster sessions
(as of 3/9/25)
Keynote
Dr Christoph Kuppe: Spatial multiomics uncover novel cardiomyocyte signatures relevant for human heart disease
Venue, Travel & Accomodation
This year we are meeting in Heidelberg. The city is picturesquely set on the River Neckar, overlooked by Heidelberg Castle. Home to one of Europe's oldest universities, Heidelberg combines history with young life.
Heidelberg Marriott Hotel, Vangerowstraße 16, 69115 Heidelberg
The Heidelberg Marriott Hotel is 10 minutes walk or 1 stop by tram/bus from Heidelberg Central Station.
We will make the hotel reservations for all participants according to the dates of attendance indicated in the online registration.
Please make your own travel arrangements in compliance with the DZHK Travel Expenses Policy (as of 8/2025)
Impressions from last year's DZHK Retreat
FAQ
Registration
Young DZHK Retreat
Registration is closed. We thank all Young DZHK scientists who have submitted an abstract by 1 June 2025. We will inform all applicants about the acceptance of their abstract in mid-July 2025. All participants of the Young DZHK Retreat (10-11 Sep) are automatically registered for participating in the DZHK Retreat (11-12 Sep).
DZHK Retreat
Registration is closed. Registration was open from 28/5/25 - 15/7/25 (23:59). Please keep in mind that your registration is preliminary as the number of participants per partner site is limited. Registrations will be considered on a first come first served basis. DZHK PI, DZHK Scientists and DZHK staff will receive a final confirmation soon.
Young DZHK Retreat
You will be notified via e-mail in mid-July.
DZHK Retreat
You will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail in the end of July.
Young DZHK Retreat
The Young DZHK Postdoc Committee will assess the submitted abstracts and decide on who will get one of the available spots.
DZHK Retreat
If there are more registered people than are spots available your partner site speakers and management will decide on who gets to go. Furthermore, registrations will be considered on a first come first served basis.
No. If your registration for the Young DZHK Retreat was successful you are automatically registered for the main retreat.
Unfortunately we only have a limited number of spots available. If your abstract was not accepted you cannot attend the retreat.
Yes. When registering you can note in the comments on which day(s) you will attend.
Travel
It is a 10 minutes walk or 1 stop by tram/bus from Heidelberg Central Station to the Heidelberg Marriott Hotel (Vangerowstraße 16, 69115 Heidelberg). Please note: We do not cover expenses for taxi rides.
Route Planner
Parking in the hotel’s parking garage is available for an extra fee (€25 a day). Please note that the DZHK will only reimburse parking expenses for up to €10 a day.
Yes. Please make your own travel arrangements in compliance with the DZHK Travel Expenses Policy (as of 8/2025). Keep all original receipts and tickets as they are needed for claiming your expenses.
Please send original receipts and tickets together with the reimbursement form no later than six months after the retreat to the DZHK head office. We cannot reimburse you for your expenses before the meeting.
Travel expense claims should be addressed to:
DZHK e. V.
Attention: Mareike Leistner
Potsdamer Str. 58
10785 Berlin
Hotel
No. We will make the hotel reservations for all participants according to the dates of attendance indicated in the online registration.
Young DZHK Retreat
You will share a double room with twin beds. When registering for the retreat you can name who you would like to share the room with.
DZHK Retreat
Concerns DZHK PI, DZHK Scientists and DZHK staff: Unless otherwise requested in your registration you will get a single room.
No. The DZHK head office will be billed for the retreat including all hotel rooms. You will be charged for extra expenses such as mini bar, parking garage, alcoholic beverages.
Talk and poster formalities
The meeting language is English. Please prepare your presentation in English.
We do have a DZHK poster template. Posters should be A0 size in portrait orientation. Make sure to include appropriate DZHK affiliation on your poster.
Please hand in your presentation on a portable USB device to the hotel technician or the session chair prior to the start of the session. We do have a DZHK PowerPoint template.
Abstract submission (only for Young DZHK members)
You have to submit your abstract online when registering for the retreat. Deadline for abstract submission is on 1 June 2025 (23:59).
You will be notified via e-mail in mid-July.
All submitted abstracts are evaluated with regard to scientific quality by at least 2 reviewers (members of the Young DZHK Postdoc Committee). After the review process the Postdoc Committee decides which contributions will be presented as talks and as posters and, in case, the number of submissions exceeds the number of available spots, which abstracts are rejected. The Committee members make sure that contributions of all partner sites are represented at the Young DZHK Retreat.
Yes. We make the abstract book available digitally. There will not be a print edition.
Unfortunately we only have a limited number of spots available. If your abstract was not accepted you cannot attend the retreat.