Changes in diet and the environment constantly pose new challenges to the human metabolism. Different organs and tissues work together in complex interactions to keep the metabolism in balance. The human body has a sophisticated system of inter-organ communication that allows cells to influence metabolic pathways in distant tissues. Dysregulation of these pathways contributes to a wide range of human diseases, including lung disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer or liver disease.
Interdisciplinary projects of the German Centers for Health Research (DZG) are investigating the complex networks and mechanisms that control the metabolism with the aim of developing new therapeutic approaches.
The human body is a highly complex network of organs and tissues that communicate, exchange signals and metabolites, and influence each other. This inter-organ communication plays a crucial role in the development and treatment of disease, but is not yet fully understood. In particular, our metabolism is closely linked to inflammation, aging and chronic disease. Metabolites can circulate as signaling molecules between tissues, either promoting healing or exacerbating disease.
Inter-organ metabolomics: new insights for medicine
A new field of research is coming into focus: inter-organ metabolomics investigates which metabolic products are exchanged between organs, how they influence biological processes and what role they play in disease mechanisms. In order to better understand these interrelationships, the German Centers for Health Research (DZG) have launched the innovation fund "Inter-Organ Metabolomics". The goal is to bring together researchers from different disciplines to gain new insights across disciplinary boundaries.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from five of the eight German Centers for Health Research—DZD, DZHK, DZL (lung research), DZIF (infection research) and DKTK (translational cancer research)—is investigating these mechanisms. Using cell models, disease models and patient data, the researchers are analyzing which biochemical pathways control this fatal process—in the hope of developing new therapeutic approaches to combat cachexia.
The genetic trail of inflammation in old age
Cardiovascular disease, cancer, COPD and diabetes are among the most common age-related diseases. A genetic change in the blood system called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) may play a key role. It occurs in more than 20 percent of people over the age of 65 and is associated with chronic inflammation and impaired healing processes in the heart, lung and blood vessels.
But how exactly do these genetic changes affect the immune system and communication between organs? The second funded project, "Targeting metabolic interorgan communication in inflammation-induced aging—how somatic mutations drive age-related diseases," will investigate this question.
The interdisciplinary team of researchers from five German Centers (DKTK, DZD, DZHK, DZIF and DZL) is investigating these questions. The goal is to decipher the effects of CHIP mutations in blood cells on inflammatory processes and metabolic changes in the affected organs. These findings could make a decisive contribution to the development of new prevention and treatment strategies against age-related diseases.
DZG: Joint research fosters new approaches
The funded projects illustrate the following: Complex disease mechanisms can only be elucidated through interdisciplinary cooperation. Researchers from cardiovascular research, pulmonary medicine, oncology, metabolic medicine and infection research are combining their expertise to answer common questions.
The DZG Innovation Fund specifically supports cooperation across specialist and institutional boundaries—with the aim of developing new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of widespread diseases. Two outstanding projects have been selected for funding and will receive a total budget of up to one and a half million euros (Project 2) over 2025 and 2026.
Scientists involved:
Maria Rohm (DZD, Helmholtz Munich), Stephan Herzig (DZD, Helmholtz Munich), Önder Yildirim (DZL, Helmholtz Munich), Soni Pullamsetti (DZL, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), Karsten Hiller (DZIF, Technische Universität Braunschweig), Maximilian Reichert (DKTK, TUM Universitätsklinikum), Alexander Bartelt (DZHK, Technische Universität München)