Cluster for atherothrombosis and individualized medicine
A consortium of leading partners from academia and industry is working together to redefine the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Using artificial intelligence, we identify disease-relevant factors and develop precision medicine approaches that reduce the risk, impact and mortality associated with cardiovascular diseases. Since 2026, our BMFTR-funded cluster is successfully in its second implementation phase.
We are delighted to welcome a new member to the curATime team: Prof. Philipp Lurz, Director of the Center for Cardiology at University Medical Center Mainz, is now actively supporting the curASonic project: “curATime is more than just a cluster of excellence. curATime is creating an ecosystem of innovation in the Main-Rhine region and in Rhineland-Palatinate, which will enable us, working together as a team, to rethink and redesign treatment strategies for atherosclerosis! Personally, I will contribute my clinical expertise in the field of cardiovascular medicine and, from a scientific perspective, our clinical mechanistic models and approaches to reverse translation.”
We are welcoming our new partners
Upscaling for the successful production of cells for heart regeneration after myocardial infarction
In the project curARace, Boris Greber (Catalent), Robert Zweigerdt (MHH), and Johnny Kim (TRON) are collaborating to develop a scalable, GMP-compliant platform for the production of functional, transplantable cardiac cells and tissues derived from human iPS cells. By combining insights gained from curATime with Catalent’s extensive expertise in GMP-compliant manufacturing, gene editing, and quality control of cell products, the partners aim to advance innovative approaches for cardiac regeneration.
We warmly welcome Catalent to the consortium and look forward to jointly advancing next-generation solutions for heart tissue regeneration.
curATime Publication
Exciting news from our microbAIome project: A study by Nadja Paeslack from the group of Christoph Reinhardt has been published in the Redox Biology jounal, titled "Toll-like receptor 2 impacts small intestinal villus capillarization through epithelial dual oxidase 2".
The study identifies a novel microbiota–TLR2–DUOX2 signaling axis that regulates the vascularization of intestinal villi, the tiny structures responsible for nutrient absorption in the small intestine. The findings link microbial sensing in the gut epithelium to vascular remodeling during both homeostasis and inflammation.
curATime Publication
Great news from the phase I project biosignATure: The paper with the title "Blood DNA Methylation Patterns Across Carotid, Coronary, and Peripheral Atherosclerosis: A Comparative Analysis in 2 Prospective Cohorts" was published in the JACC Journal.
The study reveals epigenetic alterations in pathways involving smoking exposure, platelet reactivity and thrombosis, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. The results raise the possibility that persistent exposure-driven epigenetic alterations could become future therapeutic targets.
We are welcoming our new partners
As part of the second phase of curATime, a key focus lies on translating research findings into clinical application.
Within the ThrombID project, Prof. Wolfram Ruf (UM) and Kai Prager (DiaSys Diagnostic Systems GmbH) are collaborating to further advance the diagnosis of vascular dysfunction in the context of thrombo-inflammatory autoimmune diseases with cardiovascular implications. Insights from previous curATime work are being combined with DiaSys’ diagnostic expertise to develop new detection methods.
We warmly welcome DiaSys and are looking forward to a successful collaboration.
By bringing together powerful players from science and industry with complementary skills, we are meeting the challenge of tailoring the treatment of atherothrombosis-related cardiovascular diseases.
In curATime, we want to use artificial intelligence to identify disease-relevant factors that link to causes of atherothrombosis. Furthermore, we want to identify molecularly defined precision interventions and hope that by applying these we will be able to reduce the incidence and impact of cardiovascular diseases and therefore to significantly reduce mortality in the population.
The challenge
Atherothrombosis is the world's No. 1 cause of death
Death rates continue to rise every year
In addition to the high mortality rate, cardiovascular diseases can severely impair the quality of life of those affected by it.
No significant progress has been made in medical research in recent decades
There is an urgent need for new, personalized therapy options
Our solution
Precise targeting of disease-relevant mechanisms through AI- and mRNA-based technologies.
For this purpose, individualized and subgroup-specific profiles for atherosclerotic biomarkers and risks will be developed using AI-supported and state-of-the-art bioinformatics. The findings will be used to develop innovative diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic concepts. This includes the generation of novel algorithms to improve therapy selection and risk assessment as well as eHealth apps and smart devices. Central to the success of the cluster are large data sets from representative population studies and their computer-based analysis using artificial intelligence.
