FIAS is part of a successful application of Goethe University for the Hessian State Initiative for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (LOEWE). The new LOEWE cluster Lipid Space investigates the role of lipophilic substances in tissue self-regulation and is funded with €4.3 million Euro.

Lipids are “fatty” biomolecules. They form ordered structures in aqueous environments. These include membranes, but also functions as signaling molecules. Many diseases can be traced back to disorders in lipid metabolism. Tens of thousands of different lipid species occur in mammalian cells, about which we still know very little. The LOEWE project aims to explore these structures, which are crucial for diseases – the unexplored lipid spaces. The focus is on the role of lipids in the functionality of various tissues.

The FIAS group led by Senior Fellow Roberto Covino is investigating the protective signal transmission of lipids in the liver. The FIAS scientist is also building bridges to the new SCALE cluster of excellence. With the LOEWE project, Hesse aims to become a leader in lipid research and expand its international network.

The Goethe University (GU) in Frankfurt is in charge of Lipid Space. In addition to FIAS, the University Hospital of Giessen and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim are also involved.  

“I am very happy about the team’s participation in the new LOEWE project,” says FIAS Director Jan Wörner. “This also creates close ties to the recently successful SCALE Cluster of Excellence.”