MicroRNAs as therapeutic targets

General scientific objectives:

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs, which posttranscriptionally regulate mRNA degradation and protein translation. During the last decade the contribution of microRNAs in a large variety of physiological as well as pathological processes has been discovered. Researchers of our institute have identified several microRNAs involved in postischemic remodeling and cardiovascular aging (Bonauer et al., Science 2009, Boon et al., Nature 2013). Current studies further explore these findings and elucidate the translational potential of targeting microRNAs in cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the mechanisms by which microRNAs interfere with cardiac function by modulating the complex interplay of different cells types in a context-dependent manner is studied.