Cardiac function, adenoviruses, dark matter: DFG awards grants to three new research units
Freiburg, 08/04/2026
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding three new research units in Freiburg for a period of four years.
Photo: Sandra Meyndt / University of Freiburg
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding three new research units in Freiburg for a period of four years. Funding has been awarded to Research Unit FOR6051, “The Interstitium – A Key Determinant of Cardiac Function,” and Research Unit FOR5898, “AdBHealth,”, which focuses on adenovirus research, with €5.7 million each. Both projects investigate fundamental biological processes with the aim of deriving concrete approaches for medical practice: FOR6051 focuses on the role of the tissue between heart muscle cells in cardiac function and potential approaches to maintaining cardiac output. FOR5898 investigates adenoviruses to more precisely determine their significance for diseases and for patient safety. “The fact that the DFG has approved two new research units under Freiburg leadership is an outstanding achievement and a strong indication of the calibre of our research,” says Prof. Dr Lutz Hein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg. “The topics range from key mechanisms of cardiac function to viruses that are relevant both to diseases and to modern vaccines and gene therapies.”
As part of the FOR6006 “DELight” research consortium, which has also been approved, researchers are developing a novel, highly sensitive experiment designed to detect particles of so-called Light Dark Matter. The project is being coordinated by Heidelberg University. In addition to researchers from the University of Freiburg, scientists from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are also involved. The consortium will receive a total of €5.3 million, of which €1.2 million will go to the University of Freiburg.
The tissue between cells has not been sufficiently researched to date
The FOR6051 Research Unit is investigating the cardiac interstitium – that is, the tissue between the heart muscle cells. To date, this tissue has received significantly less attention in research than heart muscle cells, blood vessels or the nervous system. Yet it connects cells, vessels and nerves, and shapes the way the heart functions electrically and mechanically. The researchers aim to investigate the role the interstitium plays in cardiac function and how this can lead to new approaches for maintaining cardiac output – for example, following a heart attack.
“The tissue between heart muscle cells is far more important to the heart’s function than previously thought. We want to understand how it connects heart muscle cells, blood vessels and the nervous system, thereby helping to shape heart function. This research is expected to provide new insights for cardiac medicine,” says Prof. Dr Peter Kohl, spokesperson for the research group and Scientific Director of the Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg. “I am particularly pleased that our research project has made such a strong impression on the independent reviewers appointed by the DFG. They regard our approach as innovative and believe it has the potential to bring about fundamental changes in cardiac research. Furthermore, the reviewers have rated all of the research group’s sub-projects as being among the best in the world.”
“The tissue between heart muscle cells is far more important to the heart’s function than previously thought. We want to understand how it connects heart muscle cells, blood vessels and the nervous system, thereby helping to shape heart function. This research is expected to provide new insights for cardiac medicine.”
Prof. Dr Peter Kohl
Spokesperson for the research group and Scientific Director of the Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.
Adenoviruses: a focus of infection research and medicine
The FOR5898 Research Unit “AdBHealth” focuses on adenoviruses. These viruses can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses and lead to severe disease in immunocompromised patients. At the same time, they are used in modern medicine as delivery systems for vaccines and gene therapies. Despite this dual significance, many fundamental properties of adenoviruses are not yet fully understood. The Freiburg research unit therefore aims to investigate how adenoviruses enter cells, replicate, and how the immune system and blood components react to them. To this end, the scientists are using modern 3D tissue models that realistically replicate the human respiratory tract and mucous membranes.
“Adenoviruses are important to us in two ways: as potential pathogens and as tools in medicine. “Our aim is to understand their interactions with the body in such detail that this leads to both new approaches to combating infections and safer applications for vaccines and gene therapies.”
Prof. Dr Sabrina Schreiner
Spokesperson for the research unit and professor at the Institute of Virology at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg
“Adenoviruses are important to us in two ways: as potential pathogens and as tools in medicine. “Our aim is to understand their interactions with the body in such detail that this leads to both new approaches to combating infections and safer applications for vaccines and gene therapies,” says Prof. Dr Sabrina Schreiner, spokesperson for the research unit and professor at the Institute of Virology at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.
Numerous partner sites are involved in both research units. The FOR6051 Research Unit brings together 16 researchers from Freiburg as well as partners from Berlin, Karlsruhe, Göttingen, Würzburg and the Saarland. In the “AdBHealth” network, researchers from Freiburg, Witten, Leipzig, Essen, Hanover, Hamburg, Lübeck and Greifswald contribute their expertise. This close collaboration is intended to ensure that findings from basic research are rapidly translated into clinical applications.
The search for Light Dark Matter using superfluid helium
Much of the matter in the universe remains unknown to science, as it is invisible. According to current research, this dark matter could account for up to 85 per cent of the universe. To determine which particles dark matter consists of and what properties they possess, astroparticle physics utilises observational data from various experimental approaches – though so far without success.
The FOR6006 “DELight” Research Unit will utilise the properties of ultracold, superfluid helium to answer this question. Due to the low mass of helium atoms, it is particularly well suited to this search for new light particles. To this end, a new detector concept is being developed, designed to achieve the highest possible sensitivity for dark matter particles with a mass less than that of a proton. Quantum sensors are intended to detect minute amounts of energy, such as those generated by collisions between Light Dark Matter and helium nuclei.
Six research teams from Freiburg, Heidelberg and Karlsruhe are involved in the project. The research unit is led by Prof. Dr Belina von Krosigk from Heidelberg University. The helium technology is being developed at Heidelberg University. At KIT, quantum sensors are being developed to detect the signals. At the University of Freiburg, highly sensitive measuring instruments are being used to identify materials for the construction of the experiment. The aim is to suppress potential interference signals – such as those caused by naturally occurring radioactivity – as much as possible. To protect against cosmic radiation, the DELight experiment is also being set up in an underground laboratory in Switzerland and further shielded with lead and copper.
“With our sensitive measuring instruments and our extensive experience in radiation shielding, we are ensuring that a helium detector becomes the best dark matter experiment currently available in this mass range.”
Prof. Dr Marc Schumann
Professor of Experimental Astroparticle Physics at the University of Freiburg
“With our sensitive measuring instruments and our extensive experience in radiation shielding, we are ensuring that a helium detector becomes the best dark matter experiment currently available in this mass range,” says Prof. Dr Marc Schumann, Professor of Experimental Astroparticle Physics at the University of Freiburg.