Gabriele Schiattarella awarded W2 Professorship
Over half of the 64 million people worldwide with heart failure suffer from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) – a condition whereby the heart loses flexibility and consequently is unable to pump blood to the body at a rate commensurate with its needs. The resulting lack of oxygen and nutrients causes patients to experience diminished endurance, fluid buildup in the lungs and elsewhere, and ultimately, shortness of breath. Chronic conditions such as metabolic syndrome and obesity play a large role in increasing the risk of developing HFpEF – lack of exercise, stress, smoking, and alcohol consumption further elevate the risk.
Dr. Gabriele G. Schiattarella and his team in the department of Cardiometabolic Diseases at the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité (DHZC) have been investigating the metabolic changes and inflammation in HFpEF. They are also studying heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, another type of heart failure that is caused by the inability of the heart's left ventricle to pump blood as well as it should. He plans to expand his research to include a more holistic approach to these disorders. Solely focusing on the heart is insufficient, he says. Instead, other organs and systems must also be included to better understand the interplay between the heart and metabolism and to pioneer new therapeutic strategies.
Schiattarella’s work has earned numerous accolades, including an ERC Starting Grant, the Outstanding Investigator Award from the International Society of Heart Research, and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the European Society of Cardiology.
About Gabriele Schiattarella
Schiattarella studied medicine at the University of Naples Federico II, where he specialized in cardiology. In 2015, he moved to the United States to join the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, completing his PhD in clinical and experimental medicine in 2018. Since 2019, he has served as an Assistant Professor of Cardiology there. In 2020, he was appointed to Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and moved his lab to Berlin.
He leads a DZHK-funded guest group, “Translational Approaches in Heart Failure and Cardiometabolic Diseases,” at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin-Buch, and runs a laboratory at the Max Rubner Center of the Charité. Since 2023, he has also served as deputy spokesperson for the special research field 1470, which aims to improve HFpEF therapy.
His W2 Professorship in Cardiometabolic Diseases at DHZC marks another significant milestone in his career. The Deutsche Herzzentrum Berlin Foundation is contributing to his research with a one-time investment, enabling his team to continue cutting-edge research into the function of mitochondria – the cell’s powerhouses –throughout the course of HFpEF and other cardiometabolic diseases.
Further information
- High honor for Berlin heart researcher
- When the heart cannot adapt
- ERC Starting Grants for Berlin scientists
