Group "Iron metabolism"

The research group "Iron metabolism" is headed by Professor Martina Muckenthaler and part of the Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, Immunology and Pulmonology (Prof. Kulozik) of the Heidelberg University Hospital. The group deals with diseases of iron metabolism and the underlying regulatory mechanisms.

Every year millions of patients worldwide are affected by iron metabolism defects. Our knowledge about these diseases is still incomplete and the treatment strategy is often unclear. At one end of the spectrum is anemia, often caused by iron deficiency.

We are particularly interested in the rare group of congenital anemias, for which we have been able to improve diagnostics and therapy in recent years. We identified genetic defects and investigate the resulting pathogenesis in cell and animal models. At the other end of the spectrum are common iron overload disorders, such as hereditary hemochromatosis. Here, the iron accumulation in various organs causes, among other things, liver damage, heart disease and impairments of the endocrine system. Since both iron deficiency and excess iron affect our health, we are interested in molecular mechanisms that regulate iron metabolism. Of particular interest is the iron-regulated hormone hepcidin and its "receptor", ferroportin, which is responsible for supplying the blood with iron. Since an excess of hepcidin is a cause of iron deficiency anemia and hepcidin deficiency leads to iron overload, the understanding of this regulatory system is the focus of our research.