About Us

In August 2016, Niels Voigt joined the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology as Professor of Molecular Pharmacology. Since its inception, his research group has expanded by more than 20 members and its central focus is to investigate the pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, particularly due to embolic stroke and heart failure. Current approaches to restore normal sinus rhythm (antiarrhythmic drugs, AF ablation) have major limitations including dissatisfying efficacy and risk of life-threatening proarrhythmic events. Therefore, we aim to unravel novel molecular mechanisms contributing to AF initiation and maintenance. In particular, we employ modern experimental techniques including cellular electrophysiology and calcium imaging to investigate atrial myocytes and tissue samples from patients undergoing open heart surgery. In addition, we utilize advanced techniques in the generation of atrial engineered heart tissue (aEHM) and modern gene editing approaches (CRISPR/Cas9) in order to develop new experimental models of AF. These approaches will provide the molecular basis for novel and patient-tailored therapeutic strategies for AF.

Principal InvestigatorProf. Dr. med. Niels Voigt, FESC, FAHA
Prof. Dr. med. Niels Voigt, FESC, FAHA

contact information

Members Voigt Group

Office

Maren Dilaj

 Maren Dilaj

contact information

Office

Fattah Farha Amatul

 Fattah Farha Amatul

contact information

Postdoctoral Researcher

Funsho Fakuade, PhD

 Funsho Fakuade, PhD

contact information

Postdoctoral Researcher

Fleur Mason, PhD

 Fleur Mason, PhD

contact information

Postdoctoral Researcher

Julius Ryan Pronto, PhD

 Julius Ryan Pronto, PhD

contact information

Clinician Scientist

Dr. med. Judith Gronwald

Dr. med. Judith Gronwald

contact information

MD Student

Lena Bartelt

 Lena Bartelt

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

MD Student

Lea Becker

contact information

MD Student

Jasper Bee

 Jasper Bee

contact information

MD Student

Yara Bonhoff

 Yara Bonhoff

contact information

MD Student

Donata Bülow

 Donata Bülow

contact information

MD Student

Catriona Butchart

 Catriona Butchart

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

PhD Student

Yannic Döring

 Yannic Döring

contact information

MD Student

Marie Gaulrapp

contact information

MD Student

Marcus Gerloff

 Marcus Gerloff

contact information

MD Student

Dominik Hubricht

 Dominik Hubricht

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

MD Student

Luisa Marie Hüsgen

 Luisa Marie Hüsgen

contact information

MD Student

Marie Klopp

 Marie Klopp

contact information

MD Student

Valentina Kuhn

 Valentina Kuhn

contact information

PhD Student

Aiste Liutkute

 Aiste Liutkute

contact information

MD Student

Wiebke Meier

 Wiebke Meier

contact information

MD Student

Vanessa Möller

 Vanessa Möller

contact information

MD Student

Christoph Netzel

 Christoph Netzel

contact information

MD Student

Tami Niedick

 Tami Niedick

contact information

MD Student

Fiona Popp

 Fiona Popp

contact information

MD Student

Isabelle Refke

 Isabelle Refke

contact information

MD Student

Melanie Ritter

 Melanie Ritter

contact information

MD Student

Katharina Ritzenhoff

 Katharina Ritzenhoff

contact information

MD Student

Peter Joshua Siedler

 Peter Joshua Siedler

contact information

MD Student

Izzatullo Sobitov

 Izzatullo Sobitov

contact information

MD Student

Robin Springer

 Robin Springer

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

MD Student

Vanessa Steckmeister

 Vanessa Steckmeister

contact information

MD Student

Lea Stelzer

 Lea Stelzer

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

BSc Student

Liam Williamson

contact information

Technical Assistant

Stefanie Kestel

 Stefanie Kestel

contact information

  • Heart Research Building

Technical Assistant

Ines Müller

 Ines Müller

contact information

Alumni

  • Paulina Brandes
  • Mei-Ling Chang Liao, PhD
  • Dr. med. Rebekka Dülk
  • Dr. med. Philipp Jung
  • Cristina E. Molina, PhD
  • Tony Rubio, PhD
  • Will Seibertz, PhD

Videos

Watch our videos in the media center on molecular pharmacology

Selected Publications

Five most important

  • Fakuade FE, Hubricht D, Möller V, Sobitov I, Liutkute A, Döring Y, Seibertz F, Gerloff M, Pronto JRD, Haghighi F, Brandenburg S, Alhussini K, Ignatyeva N, Bonhoff Y, Kestel S, El-Essawi A, Jebran AF, Großmann M, Danner BC, Baraki H, Schmidt C, Sossalla S, Kutschka I, Bening C, Maack C, Linke WA, Heijman J, Lehnart SE, Kensah G, Ebert A, Mason FE, Voigt N (2024) Impaired intracellular calcium buffering contributes to the arrhythmogenic substrate in atrial myocytes from patients with atrial fibrillation. Circulation, online ahead of print. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.066577. [PubMed]
  • Bode D, Pronto JRD, Schiattarella G, Voigt N (2024) Metabolic remodelling in atrial fibrillation: manifestations, mechanisms and clinical implications. Nat Rev Cardiol, online ahead of print. doi: 10.1038/s41569-024-01038-6. [PubMed]
  • Voigt N, Heijman J, Wang Q, Chiang DY, Li N, Karck M, Wehrens XHT, Nattel S, Dobrev D. (2014) Cellular and molecular mechanisms of atrial arrhythmogenesis in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Circulation, 129 (2): 145-56. [PubMed]
  • Voigt N, Li N, Wang Q, Wang W, Trafford AW, Abu-Taha I, Sun Q, Wieland T, Nattel S, Ravens U, Wehrens XHT, Dobrev D. (2012) Enhanced sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ leak and increased Na+-Ca2+ exchanger function underlie delayed afterdepolarizations in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Circulation, 125 (17): 2059-70. (Highlighted in Circulation’s “Most Read Articles in Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology”, Circulation 2013, 127: e509-19) [PubMed]
  • Makary S*, Voigt N*, Maguy A*, Wakili R, Nishida K, Harada M, Dobrev D, Nattel S. (2011) Differential protein kinase C isoform regulation and increased constitutive activity of acetylcholine-regulated potassium channels in atrial remodeling. Circ Res, 109 (9): 1031-43. *Equal contribuation. [PubMed]

Book Chapters

  • Nattel S, Heijman J, Voigt N, Wehrens XHT, Dobrev D (2017) The molecular pathophys-iology of atrial fibrillation. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Zipes D, Jalife J, Stevenson W (eds), 7th edition, Elsevier, pp. 396-408 ISBN: 978-0-3234-4733-1
  • Dobrev D, Voigt N, Nattel S (2013) Cholinergic and constitutive regulation of atrial potassium channels. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Zipes D, Jalife J (eds), 6th edition, Elsevier, pp. 383-91. ISBN: 978-1-4556-2856-5
  • Nattel S, Voigt N, Dobrev D (2013) Molecular pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside. Zipes D, Jalife J (eds), 6th edition, Elsevier, pp. 449-58. ISBN: 978-1-4556-2856-5


For a complete list of publications, please access Scopus or PubMed.

Funding

Latest News & Recommended Links

Find our research group on twitter: https://twitter.com/niels_voigt?lang=de


Research Networks


Scientific Societies


ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

Follow us