Stefanie Dimmeler is a Germanbiologist specializing in the pathophysiological processes underlying cardiovascular diseases. Her awards and honours include the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation for her work on the programmed cell death of endothelial cells. Since 2008 she has led the Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration at the University of Frankfurt. Her current work is focusing to develop cellular and pharmacological strategies to improve cardiovascular repair and regeneration. Her work aims to establish non-coding RNAs as novel therapeutic targets.
Life
Stefanie Dimmeler attended schools in Hagnau and Stetten and the high school in Markdorf. From 1986 to 1991 she studied biology at the University of Konstanz. In 1993 she obtained her doctorate in Konstanz on "Nitric oxide-stimulated ADP-ribosylation". From 1993 to 1995 Dimmeler was a postdoctoral fellow in the Biochemical and Experimental Division of the Department of Surgery the University of Cologne and then from 1995 to 2001 in the Medical Clinic, Department of Cardiology, the University of Frankfurt am Main. In 1998 she habilitated in the field of experimental medicine on the topic of endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis - studies on the apoptosis of endothelial cells. Since 2001 she has been Professor for Molecular Cardiology at the University of Frankfurt and since 2008 she is the Director of the Institute for Cardiovascular Regeneration at the Center for Molecular Medicine of the Goethe University Frankfurt. in 2005 she won the 1.55 million euro Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. Before she could receive the prize, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft had to clear her of all allegations of scientific misconduct, which they did on 5 July 2005. An investigation into Dimmeler's work was needed owing to mistakes in three of her publications. These had been admitted and corrected, and they referred to figures used in representative examples; her conclusions were entirely sound and reproducible. Dimmeler went on to receive the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine in 2007 and a 2.4 million euro research grant from the European Research Council in 2008. Since 2011 Stefanie Dimmeler is Deputy Speaker of the "German Center for Cardiovascular Research e.V." Location RheinMain. The DZHK is a partner of the German Centers for Health Research, which are committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases and was founded in 2011 on the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The goal of all six German Centers for Health Research is to bring the results of basic research into clinical application more quickly. In addition, Stefanie Dimmeler is spokeswoman for the "Cardio-Pulmonary Institute", a DFG-funded Excellence Cluster.
Scientific work
Stefanie Dimmeler focuses on the molecular biology of endothelial cells, the cells lining the blood vessels. An essential aspect is apoptosis, known as programmed cell death, of the tissue. In this context, Dimmeler examines the necessary messenger substances, the development of damage to these cell structures and the possibilities of regenerating these processes. Above all, this basic research aims to provide a better understanding of the processes in arteriosclerosis and to find treatment options. It also provided initial results on stem cell therapy using bone marrow progenitor cells for the treatment of infarction patients. Current work also deals with the regulation of vascular growth and stem cells by small gene chips, so-called microRNAs.
