Max Rubner Center (MRC) for Cardiovascular-Metabolic-Renal Research in Berlin - Cooperative Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Renal Research for Innovative Therapies
The Max Rubner Center (MRC) for Cardiovascular Metabolic Renal Research is an institution of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin specialized in cardiovascular, metabolic and renal research and is located at the Campus Charité Mitte. It was founded as an experimental research center of the Charité. Three cardiology clinics, the Clinic for Nephrology, the Clinic for Endocrinology, the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, the Institute of Laboratory Medicine, the Institute of Vegetative Physiology and the Institute of Pharmacology work together here on an interdisciplinary basis.
With the center, the faculty promotes cardiovascular, metabolic and renal research at the Charité. It creates excellent conditions for cooperative research in the fields of heart failure and myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial vascular disorders, acute/ chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus and obesity. Other research activities focus on mechanisms of aging in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, as well as molecular pharmacology and renal physiology. The MRC combines cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, physiology and pharmacology. Scientists in 14 research groups are investigating the causes of particularly frequent cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases. At the same time, they are developing innovative therapies.
An animal husbandry area is also embedded, which is supported by the Research Facilities for Experimental Medicine (FEM) with regard to experimental animal breeding and husbandry. The animal husbandry area is equipped with several units for metabolic, cardiovascular and renal phenotyping of small animals. Among others, scientists have access to a small animal echocardiography unit, metabolic cages and implantable telemetry transponders for their research.
The MRC works closely with the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). Membership in the DZHK also confirms the high quality of cardiovascular research: In the DZHK, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science funds 28 institutions at 7 locations in Germany, which were selected in a competitive process. In the DZHK, patient-oriented interdisciplinary research is conducted in networks of leading scientists.
The MRC is home to groups from three collaborative research centers funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): CRC1365 - Nephroprotekion, CRC1470 - Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) and CRC/ TR296 Local Control of Thyroid Hormone Action.
