Gerd Heusch

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Gerd Heusch
Born (1955-05-20) May 20, 1955 (age 69)
Bonn

Gerd Heusch (born May 20, 1955, in Bonn) is a German physician and physiologist. From 1989 until 2024 he was professor and chair of the Institute for Pathophysiology at the University of Essen Medical School.

Contents

Biography

Heusch attended the Medical Schools at the Universities of Düsseldorf and Bonn, where he graduated in 1979 and received his MD degree in 1980. Following obligatory military service as medical officer, he was postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology at the University of Düsseldorf Medical School where he completed his PhD in 1985. From 1985 to 1986 Heusch was research cardiologist at the University of California, San Diego under the mentorship of Dr. John Ross Jr. From 1986 to 1989 Heusch held a Heisenberg scholarship from the German Research Foundation in the Department of Physiology and the Clinic of Cardiology (Prof. Dr. Franz Loogen) at the University of Düsseldorf Medical School. From 1989 until 2024 he was professor and chair of the Institute for Pathophysiology at the University of Essen Medical School. From 1999 to 2000 he spent a sabbatical in the Department of Physiology at the University of Southern Alabama, Mobile where he is adjunct professor since. [1] From 2014 to 2022 Heusch was scientific chief executive of the West German Heart and Vascular Center Essen. [2] Heusch served as president of the European Section of the International Society for Heart Research from 2002 to 2005 and as president of the German Cardiac Society from 2007 to 2009. [3] As president of the German Cardiac Society Heusch put particular emphasis on the establishment of Chest Pain Units to fight myocardial infarction – today there are more than 300 Chest Pain Units in Germany. [4] From 2008 to 2016 Heusch served on the medical review board of the German Research Foundation, from 2012 to 2016 as its speaker. [5] Heusch is editor of Basic Research in Cardiology since 1992; he has been and is member of the editorial board of a number of prestigious journals, such as Circulation Research, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, European Heart Journal, Cardiovascular Research and American Journal of Physiology. Heusch is fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) since 2006 and regular member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2012, speaker of its medical members since 2019, and vice president for natural sciences and medicine since 2023. [6] [7] In 2022 he was elected as member of the Academia Europea. [8]

Research

Heusch's research focus is on coronary blood flow and the pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. He first reported that the coronary circulation is not maximally dilated during myocardial ischemia, but subject to active vasoconstriction through alpha-adrenergic effects of the sympathetic innervation. [9] [10] He characterized in detail the hemodynamic, morphological, metabolic and molecular features of hibernating myocardium [11] [12] and of coronary microembolization. [13] In recent years, he analyzed the signal transduction of ischemic conditioning. [14] [15] The translation of preclinical data to clinical practice is of particular importance to him, [16] [17] and he succeeded to translate remote ischemic conditioning to patients undergoing bypass surgery. [18] Heusch published more than 600 original and review articles in respected international journals, [19] his h-index is triple digit. [20] In 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 he was awarded as "Highly Cited Researcher". [21]

Seven collaborators of Heusch received the habilitation degree, his long-term collaborator Rainer Schulz is professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at the University of Giessen Medical School since 2011, his long-term collaborator Bodo Levkau is professor and chair of the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University of Düsseldorf Medical School since 2020, [22] his long-term collaborator Petra Kleinbongard is professor for cardioprotection at the University of Duisburg-Essen Medical School since 2020. [23]

Awards and honors

Heusch received an honor's doctorate from the Medical Academy Nishnij Novgorod/Russia in 2000, an honor's professorship from Tangshan Medical College/China in 2006, and an honor's doctorate from the Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary in 2023. [24] In 2012, he was awarded the federal cross of merit, [25] in 2017 the order of merit of the state North Rhine-Westphalia, [26] and in 2023 the federal cross of merit 1. class [27] for his merits on the research on and the fight against myocardial infarction [28]

Further awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiology</span> Branch of medicine dealing with the heart

Cardiology is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease, and electrophysiology. Physicians who specialize in this field of medicine are called cardiologists, a sub-specialty of internal medicine. Pediatric cardiologists are pediatricians who specialize in cardiology. Physicians who specialize in cardiac surgery are called cardiothoracic surgeons or cardiac surgeons, a specialty of general surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronary artery disease</span> Reduction of blood flow to the heart

Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the cardiac muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries of the heart. It is the most common of the cardiovascular diseases. Types include stable angina, unstable angina, and myocardial infarction.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acute coronary syndrome</span> Dysfunction of the heart muscles due to insufficient blood flow

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a syndrome due to decreased blood flow in the coronary arteries such that part of the heart muscle is unable to function properly or dies. The most common symptom is centrally located pressure-like chest pain, often radiating to the left shoulder or angle of the jaw, and associated with nausea and sweating. Many people with acute coronary syndromes present with symptoms other than chest pain, particularly women, older people, and people with diabetes mellitus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myocardial perfusion imaging</span> Nuclear medicine imaging method

Myocardial perfusion imaging or scanning is a nuclear medicine procedure that illustrates the function of the heart muscle (myocardium).

Avijit Lahiri is a researcher in cardiology in the UK.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronary ischemia</span> Medical condition

Coronary ischemia, myocardial ischemia, or cardiac ischemia, is a medical term for abnormally reduced blood flow in the coronary circulation through the coronary arteries. Coronary ischemia is linked to heart disease, and heart attacks. Coronary arteries deliver oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Reduced blood flow to the heart associated with coronary ischemia can result in inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle. When oxygen supply to the heart is unable to keep up with oxygen demand from the muscle, the result is the characteristic symptoms of coronary ischemia, the most common of which is chest pain. Chest pain due to coronary ischemia commonly radiates to the arm or neck. Certain individuals such as women, diabetics, and the elderly may present with more varied symptoms. If blood flow through the coronary arteries is stopped completely, cardiac muscle cells may die, known as a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myocardial infarction</span> Interruption of cardiac blood supply

A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retrosternal chest pain or discomfort that classically radiates to the left shoulder, arm, or jaw. The pain may occasionally feel like heartburn.

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Cardioprotection includes all mechanisms and means that contribute to the preservation of the heart by reducing or even preventing myocardial damage. Cardioprotection encompasses several regimens that have shown to preserve function and viability of cardiac muscle cell tissue subjected to ischemic insult or reoxygenation. Cardioprotection includes strategies that are implemented before an ischemic event, during an ischemic event and after the event and during reperfusion. These strategies can be further stratified by performing the intervention locally or remotely, creating classes of conditioning known as remote ischemic PC (RIPC), remote ischemic PostC and remote ischemic PerC. Classical (local) preconditioning has an early phase with an immediate onset lasting 2–3 hours that protects against myocardial infarction. The early phase involves post-translational modification of preexisting proteins, brought about by the activation of G protein-coupled receptors as well as downstream MAPK's and PI3/Akt. These signaling events act on the ROS-generating mitochondria, activate PKCε and the Reperfusion Injury Salvage Kinase (RISK) pathway, preventing mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MTP) opening. The late phase with an onset of 12–24 hours that lasts 3–4 days and protects against both infarction and reversible postischemic contractile dysfunction, termed myocardial stunning. This phase involves the synthesis of new cardioprotective proteins stimulated by nitric oxide (NO), ROS and adenosine acting on kinases such as PKCε and Src, which in turn activate gene transcription and upregulation of late PC molecular players.

Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is an experimental medical procedure that aims to reduce the severity of ischaemic injury to an organ such as the heart or the brain, most commonly in the situation of a heart attack or a stroke, or during procedures such as heart surgery when the heart may temporary suffer ischaemia during the operation, by triggering the body's natural protection against tissue injury. Although noted to have some benefits in experimental models in animals, this is still an experimental procedure in humans and initial evidence from small studies have not been replicated in larger clinical trials. Successive clinical trials have failed to identify evidence supporting a protective role in humans.

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References

  1. ↑ "Faculty - University of South Alabama College of Medicine, Mobile & Gulf Coast, Alabama (AL)" (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  2. ↑ "CV Heusch" (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  3. ↑ "Vorsitzende/Präsidenten der Gesellschaft | Historisches Archiv" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  4. ↑ Münzel T, Heusch G (2017), "Chest Pain Unit Network in Germany: Its Effect on Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes", Journal of the American College of Cardiology (in German), vol. 69, no. 19, pp. 2459–2460, doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2017.03.562 , PMID   28494983
  5. ↑ Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (2015-07-06). "Fachkollegium 205 "Medizin" / Amtsperiode 2012 - 2015 / Sektion 3: "Herz-Kreislaufforschung"" (PDF) (in German). Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  6. ↑ "AWK: Ordentliche Mitglieder" (in German). Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  7. ↑ "Präsidium". Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  8. ↑ "Academy of Europe: Members" . Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  9. ↑ Heusch G (1990), "Alpha-adrenergic mechanisms in myocardial ischemia", Circulation (in German), vol. 81, no. 1, pp. 1–13, doi: 10.1161/01.cir.81.1.1 , PMID   1967557
  10. ↑ Heusch G, Baumgart D, Camici P, Chilian W, Gregorini L, Hess O, Indolfi C, Rimoldi O (2000), "a-Adrenergic coronary vasoconstriction and myocardial ischemia in humans", Circulation (in German), vol. 101, no. 6, pp. 689–694, doi: 10.1161/01.cir.101.6.689 , PMID   10673263 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Heusch G (1998), "Hibernating myocardium", Physiol Rev (in German), vol. 78, no. 4, pp. 1055–1085, doi:10.1152/physrev.1998.78.4.1055, PMID   9790569
  12. ↑ Heusch G, Schulz R, Rahimtoola SH (2005), "Myocardial hibernation: a delicate balance", Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol (in German), vol. 288, no. 3, pp. H984–H999, doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01109.2004, PMID   15563526 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Heusch G, Kleinbongard P, Boese D, Levkau B, Haude M, Schulz R, Erbel R (2009), "Coronary microembolization: from bedside to bench and back to bedside", Circulation (in German), vol. 120, no. 18, pp. 1822–1836, doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.109.888784 , PMID   19884481 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ Heusch G (2015), "Molecular basis of cardioprotection: signal transduction in ischemic pre-, post-, and remote conditioning", Circulation Research (in German), vol. 116, no. 4, pp. 674–699, doi: 10.1161/circresaha.116.305348 , PMID   25677517
  15. ↑ Heusch G (2016), "The Coronary Circulation as a Target of Cardioprotection", Circulation Research (in German), vol. 118, no. 10, pp. 1643–1658, doi: 10.1161/circresaha.116.308640 , PMID   27174955
  16. ↑ Heusch G, Rassaf T (2016), "Time to Give Up on Cardioprotection? A Critical Appraisal of Clinical Studies on Ischemic Pre-, Post-, and Remote Conditioning", Circulation Research (in German), vol. 119, no. 5, pp. 676–695, doi: 10.1161/circresaha.116.308736 , PMID   27539973
  17. ↑ Heusch G (2017), "Critical Issues for the Translation of Cardioprotection", Circulation Research (in German), vol. 120, no. 9, pp. 1477–1486, doi: 10.1161/circresaha.117.310820 , PMID   28450365
  18. ↑ Thielmann M, Kottenberg E, Kleinbongard P, Wendt D, Gedik N, Pasa S, Price V, Tsagakis K, Neuhäuser M, Peters J, Jakob H, Heusch G (2013), "Cardioprotective and prognostic effects of remote ischaemic preconditioning in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery: a single-centre randomised, double-blind, controlled trial", Lancet (in German), vol. 382, no. 9892, pp. 597–604, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)61450-6, PMID   23953384, S2CID   32771326 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ pubmeddev. "Heusch G - PubMed - NCBI" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  20. ↑ "Home". apps.webofknowledge.com.
  21. ↑ "Gerd Heusch's Web of Science profile". webofscience.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  22. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Bodo Levkau zum W3-Professor im Fach "Molekulare Medizin" ernannt" . Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  23. ↑ "Meldungen aus der UDE".
  24. ↑ "SEVEN HONORARY DOCTORATES AWARDED AT THIS YEAR'S DOCTOR HONORIS CAUSA CEREMONY" . Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  25. ↑ "www.bundespraesident.de: Der Bundespräsident / Bekanntgabe der Verleihungen / Bekanntgabe der Verleihungen vom 1. Dezember 2012" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  26. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2017-08-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ↑ "Bundesverdienstkreuz 1. Klasse für Prof. Dr. Gerhard Heusch". Rhein-Kreis Neuss. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  28. ↑ Deutscher Ärzteverlag GmbH, Redaktion Deutsches Ärzteblatt (16 June 2017), Gerd Heusch: Aktiv für die Herzgesundheit (in German), retrieved 2017-08-18
  29. ↑ "Universität Düsseldorf: Preisträgerinnen und -träger" (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  30. ↑ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. "Preis der Fritz-Acker-Stiftung" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  31. ↑ "ISHR Hall of Fame - International Society for Heart Research" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  32. ↑ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. "Paul-Morawitz-Preis" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  33. ↑ "2010 IAC Awards" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  34. ↑ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. "Ehrennadel" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  35. ↑ "Basic Science" (in German). Archived from the original on 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  36. ↑ "ISHR Hall of Fame - International Society for Heart Research" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  37. ↑ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. "Carl-Ludwig-Ehrenmedaille" (in German). Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  38. ↑ "American Physiological Society > Carl J. Wiggers Memorial Award". Archived from the original on 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2017-08-18.
  39. ↑ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kardiologie – Herz- und Kreislaufforschung e.V. "Franz-Loogen-Preis" (in German). Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  40. ↑ "IACS Honors and Awards at the 9th IACS-European Section Meeting in Timișoara, Romania" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-26.
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