Our group is focussing on inflammatory diseases connected with the de novo generation of blood and lymph vessels. For this approach we are isolating and characterizing primary vascular cells isolated from human and mouse models. We are concentrating on the following questions: De novo formation of blood and lymph vessels, identification of key factors for cell differentiation and discovery and characterization of promising biomarkers for vessel formation in acute and chronic inflammation.

More recently we are working with so-called endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) which were isolated from adult mouse lungs and which are closely related to hematopoietic stem cells. These cells are able to differentiate to lymph and blood endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo, and, therefore, are bipotent with the consequence that both vessel types are generated. These results let us to hypothesize, that in cases of acute lung inflammation the rapidly formed new blood and lymph vessels are formed by the same precursor cells. We are now using an inflammatory mouse model in order to investigate if there is a functional homing of endothelial progenitor cells to inflamed tissues where new vessels are formed. The exciting question is, whether or not we can find the transplanted progenitor cells in these regions and what function they possess.

In a recently started collaboration we also tried to identify all proteins which are secreted from precusor cells by using highly sensitive detection methods (secretome analysis). The project has been very successful. From about 1000 hits, promising proteins which are actively secreted from the cells or which are membrane signalling proteins could be identified with the help of protein data banks. This will be the basis for new exciting experiments and for the possibility to discover new biomarkers from proliferating endothelial cells. We also want to analyze the role the newly discovered proteins during vessel formation and whether the secreted proteins serve as signalling molecules.

More information and details for a putative Bachelor- or Master thesis can be given by Herbert Weich.

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