DFG Funding Awarded for Research on the Neuro-Cardiopulmonary Interface in Health and Aging

Over half a million euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) goes to Prof. Dr. Dr. Miguel Alejandre Alcazar (Institute for Lung Health, Justus Liebig University Giessen; Translational Experimental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Cologne) and Dr. Julian Wagner (Institute of Cardiovascular Regeneration, Goethe University Frankfurt) to investigate the inter- and transgenerational metabolic priming of the neuro-cardiopulmonary interface in health and aging.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide, with risk increasing significantly with age. This is in part due to a decline in the heart’s natural regenerative capacity as we grow older.

Understanding the cellualr and molecular mechanisms that make the aging heart more vulnerable to disease is therefore critical. Our previous research has shown that the neurvous system plays a key role in the aging heart. In older individuals, the density of nerve fibers controlling the heart decreases, which can lead to arrythmias and reduced cardiac function. 

Besides aging, overweight and odesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Of particular concern is, that an adverse metabolic environment early in life can have lasting negative effects on heart health. 

Therefore, Wagner and Alcazar joint forces and now aim to investigate whether and how obesity across multiple generations affects the development and function of the nervous system and heart – and how this may accelerate cardiac aging. 

This interdisciplinary project combines expertise in metabolism and aging research and will provide new insights into the complex interactions between metabolism, the nervous system, and the heart during aging. Ultimately, the findings may lead to novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of cardiopulmonary diseases. 

October, 2025