Research Activities

The research group led by Dr. Bettina Heidecker focuses on investigating cardiomyopathies and heart failure. Cardiomyopathy refers to a diseased heart muscle, which can result from genetic and/or acquired causes and risk factors. Heart failure describes a condition in which the heart is too weak to function adequately in daily life.

Dr. Heidecker and her team focus particularly on inflammation of the heart muscle and myocarditis. Projects are developed in collaboration with international partners. Partnerships with clinical institutions and industry stakeholders provide the resources needed to translate research from bench to bedside. The team employs a combined approach of basic and translational science, conducting both retrospective and prospective studies to advance future therapies for patients.

Recent studies from Dr. Heidecker’s team have been published in Lancet EClinical Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Reviews Cardiology, the European Heart Journal, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Heidecker has mentored students and fellows from Europe and the United States. Her mentees have presented their work at international conferences and have received numerous accolades, including the Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award from the American Heart Association, stipends for best master’s and doctoral theses, and grants from private foundations.

If you are interested in joining Dr. Heidecker’s research team, please contact: agheidecker@gmail.com

More information about Dr. Heidecker’s research group is available on the Charité Website (in German).

Visiting students at Dr. Heidecker's lab Dr. Heidecker's team presenting posters at ACC

Publications

You can find Dr. Heidecker’s publications on Pubmed.

Collaborators

In alphabetical order:

  • Berlin Institute of Health at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
  • Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Spain
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
  • Columbia University New York, United States
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung, Germany
  • Kantonsspital Baden, Switzerland
  • Klinikum Wels-Grieskirchen, Austria
  • Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, United States
  • Max-Delbrück-Centrum für Molekulare Medizin, Germany
  • Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, United Kingdom
  • The Johns Hopkins University, United States
  • The University of British Columbia, Canada
  • Universitario de San Cecilio Sevilla, Spain
  • Universitario de Valme Grenada, Spain
  • Universität Zürich, Switzerland
  • Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Germany
  • Universitätsklinikum Jena, Germany
  • Universitätsklinikum Krems, Austria
  • University of California, San Francisco, United States
  • University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, United States
  • University of Southern California, United States