Epigenetic regulation of cardiac homeostasis and disease, histone deacetylases, calcium-dependent signaling, cardiometabolic disease, disease modelling, genetic engineering

2022 Spokesperson of the CRC 1550 ‘Molecular Circuits of Heart Disease’

2021 Coordinator of Innovationcampus Region Rhine-Neckar with focus on cardiovascular cooperation and translation at Heidelberg University by MWK Baden-Württemberg

2021 Faculty Member of Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit of EMBL and Medical Faculty Heidelberg (MMPU)

2020 Member of the DFG study group (FK 205)

2019 Elected Vice-Chair for the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on ‘Epigenetic Regulation of Cardiovascular Disease’ in 2023 (Chair in 2025)

2019 Speaker of the German Center of Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim

2017 Arthur-Weber Award from the German Cardiac Society

2016 Outstanding Investigator Award from the International Society of Heart Research

2015 Outstanding Early Investigator Award from the Basic Cardiovascular Science Council, American Heart Association

2007 Emmy Noether Junior Research Group Leader (DFG), Medical Faculty Heidelberg, Heidelberg University

1) Chen J, Fleming T, Katz S, Dewenter M, Hofmann K, Saadatmand A, Kronlage M, Werner MP, Pokrandt B, Schreiter F, Lin J, Katz D, Morgenstern J, Elwakiel A, Sinn P, Grone HJ, Hammes HP, Nawroth PP, Isermann B, Sticht C, Brugger B, Katus HA, Hagenmueller M & Backs J. CaM Kinase II-delta is Required for Diabetic Hyperglycemia and Retinopathy but not Nephropathy. Diabetes 70:616-626, 2021

2) Jebessa ZH, Shanmukha Kumar D, Dewenter M, Lehmann LH, Xu C, Schreiter F, Siede D, Gong XM, Worst BC, Federico G, Sauer SW, Fischer T, Wechselberger L, Muller OJ, Sossalla S, Dieterich C, Most P, Grone HJ, Moro C, Oberer M, Haemmerle G, Katus HA, Tyedmers J and Backs J. The lipid droplet-associated protein ABHD5 protects the heart through proteolysis of HDAC4. Nat Metab 1:1157-67, 2019

3) Kronlage M, Dewenter M, Grosso J, Fleming T, Oehl U, Lehmann LH, Falcao-Pires I, Leite-Moreira AF, Volk N, Grone HJ, Muller OJ, Sickmann A, Katus HA & Backs J. O-GlcNAcylation of Histone Deacetylase 4 Protects the Diabetic Heart From Failure. Circulation 140:580-94, 2019

4) Lehmann LH, Jebessa ZH, Kreusser MM, Horsch A, He T, Kronlage M, Dewenter M, Sramek V, Oehl U, Krebs-Haupenthal J, von der Lieth AH, Schmidt A, Sun Q, Ritterhoff J, Finke D, Volkers M, Jungmann A, Sauer SW, Thiel C, Nickel A, Kohlhaas M, Schafer M, Sticht C, Maack C, Gretz N, Wagner M, El-Armouche A, Maier LS, Londono JEC, Meder B, Freichel M, Grone HJ, Most P, Muller OJ, Herzig S, Furlong EEM, Katus HA & Backs J. A proteolytic fragment of histone deacetylase 4 protects the heart from failure by regulating the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. Nat Med 24:62-72, 2018

5) Toth AD, Schell R, Levay M, Vettel C, Theis P, Haslinger C, Alban F, Werhahn S, Frischbier L, Krebs-Haupenthal J, Thomas D, Grone HJ, Avkiran M, Katus HA, Wieland T & Backs J. Inflammation leads through PGE/EP3 signaling to HDAC5/MEF2-dependent transcription in cardiac myocytes. EMBO Mol Med 10:e8536, 2018