The roles of hematopoietic lineage cells in cardiac repair

Sawamiphak Lab

Cardiovascular-Hematopoietic Interaction

Our lab investigates the fundamental principles underlying interactions between the immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems in health and disease.

We use zebrafish as a model organism because it allows us to combine powerful imaging and genetic techniques to monitor and manipulate with precision cellular events in vivo.

Our research focuses on two areas:
Cardiac regeneration and Neuromodulation.

Please visit our lab page

News

Scientific image
Press Release No. 50 Berlin

Heart repair via neuroimmune crosstalk

Unlike humans, zebrafish can completely regenerate their hearts after injury. They owe this ability to the interaction between their nervous and immune systems, as researchers led by Suphansa Sawamiphak from the Max Delbrück Center now report in the journal “Developmental Cell.”
Brain macrophages
Press Release No. 10 Berlin

The harmful effects of immune cells in hypertension

Hypertension can damage the heart, brain, and blood vessels. The immune system plays an important role in this process, Suphansa Sawamiphak from the Max Delbrück Center reports in Cardiovascular Research. The study, using zebrafish, found that inflammation causes macrophages to damage blood vessels instead of protecting them.
Box with artificial heart tissue
Science

Towards a better understanding of heart failure

The heart can get weak in different ways. One form of the disease, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), continues to be extremely difficult to treat. MDC researchers are involved in a new Collaborative Research Center, where they aim to change this and develop therapeutic approaches.
Herzmuskelzellen des Zebrafischs
Science

Heart muscle cells merge when the heart grows and repairs itself

Heart muscle cells fuse together during cardiac development and repair processes.
Stock Photo newspapers
Institute & Campus

Cardio specialist Suphansa Sawamiphak heads new junior research group at the MDC

2017's first new research group at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) has started its work: Dr. Suphansa Sawamiphak and her team investigate the role of macrophages in myocardial infarction.

Research Topics