Head: Prof. Andreas Fischer

Blood vessels deliver oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to every organ. The endothelium—the inner lining of all vessels—forms one of the body’s largest barrier surfaces and serves as a gateway for metabolite and hormone exchange. Positioned at the frontline of systemic sensing, endothelial cells regulate traffic across the vessel wall and secrete angiocrine factors that influence organ function.

Our mission is to understand how endothelial cells respond to physiological and pathophysiological changes. We combine cutting-edge cellular and molecular biology with in vivo models to unravel how angiocrine signaling shapes organ function and homeostasis.

• Endothelial cells as active regulators of tissue physiology: We study how the endothelium controls fluxes of lipids, carbohydrates, hormones, and signaling molecules, and how these processes are perturbed in metabolic syndrome and vascular disease.
• Angiocrine signaling and organ remodeling: We explore how endothelial-derived signals influence immune responses, tissue regeneration, and tumor biology, linking vascular biology to cancer progression and metastasis.
• Endothelial metabolism and vascular health: We investigate how endothelial metabolism supports angiogenesis, barrier function, and organ integrity, and how cancer- or metabolic disease–driven changes reprogram endothelial pathways.
• Translational perspectives: By integrating mechanistic insights with clinically relevant models, we aim to identify strategies that preserve vascular health, counteract cachexia, and curb tumor-associated angiogenesis.

Tumor progression and angiocrine signals
Formation of new blood vessels within solid tumors is a hallmark of cancer. We analyze how endothelial-derived factors modulate tumor immunity and metastatic spread, and how the vasculature can be reprogrammed to impede tumor progression.

Cancer cachexia and endothelial mediation
Cachexia involves systemic wasting driven by tumor- and host-derived factors. We showed that angiocrine signaling from the endothelium can drive adipose tissue loss. Future work addressed uncovering endothelial mechanisms that contribute to organ wasting and offering avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Metabolic regulation by the endothelium
The endothelium actively regulates the passage of lipids, carbohydrates, and hormones. We investigate how metabolic disorders disrupt barrier function and contribute to organ damage, with an emphasis on the vascular component of metabolic syndrome.

Endothelial cell metabolism and angiogenesis
Endothelial cell metabolism governs angiogenic capacity and barrier integrity. We examine how cancer and metabolic diseases alter endothelial metabolic pathways and how these changes affect vascular function and tissue homeostasis.

1. Hasan SS, John D, Rudnicki M, AlZaim I, Eberhard D, Moll I, Taylor J, Klein C, von Heesen M, Conradi LC, Adams RH, Lammert E, Kalucka J, Ruhrberg C, Dimmeler S, Fischer A (2025). Obesity drives depot-specific vascular remodeling in male white adipose tissue. Nature Commun. 16(1):5392. PMID: 40562785
2. Taylor J, Uhl L, Moll I, Hasan SS, Wiedmann L, Morgenstern J, Giaimo BD, Friedrich T, Alsina-Sanchis E, De Angelis Rigotti F, Mülfarth R, Kaltenbach S, Schenk D, Nickel F, Fleming T, Sprinzak D, Mogler C, Korff T, Billeter AT, Müller-Stich BP, Berriel Diaz M, Borggrefe T, Herzig S, Rohm M, Rodriguez-Vita J, Fischer A (2023) Endothelial Notch1 signaling in white adipose tissue promotes cancer cachexia. Nature Cancer. 4(11):1544-1560.  PMID: 37749321
3. Wiedmann L, De Angelis Rigotti F, Vaquero-Siguero N, Donato E, Espinet E, Moll I, Alsina-Sanchis E, Bohnenberger H, Fernandez-Florido E, Mülfarth R, Vacca M, Gerwing J, Conradi LC, Ströbel P, Trumpp A, Mogler C, Fischer A*, Rodriguez-Vita J* (2023) HAPLN1 potentiates peritoneal metastasis in pancreatic cancer. Nature Commun. 1:2353. PMID: 37095087. *, equal contribution
4. De Angelis Rigotti F, Wiedmann L, Hubert MO, Vacca M, Hasan SS, Moll I, Carvajal S, Jiménez W, Starostecka M, Billeter AT, Müller-Stich B, Wolff G, Ekim-Üstünel B, Herzig S, Fandos-Ramo C, Krätzner R, Reich M, Keitel-Anselmino V, Heikenwälder M, Mogler C, Fischer A*, Rodriguez-Vita J*. Semaphorin 3C exacerbates liver fibrosis. (2023) Hepatology. 78(4):1092-1105. PMID: 37055018 *, equal contribution
5. Hollstein MM, Dierks S, Schön MP, Bergmann A, Abratis A, Eidizadeh A, Kaltenbach S, Schanz J, Groß U, Leha A, Kröger A, Andag R, Zautner AE, Fischer A, Erpenbeck L, Schnelle M. (2023) Humoral and cellular immune responses in fully vaccinated individuals with or without SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection: Results from the CoV-ADAPT cohort. J Med Virol. 95(10):e29122. PMID: 37787583
6. Alsina-Sanchis E, Mülfarth R, Moll I, Böhn S, Wiedmann L, Jordana-Urriza L, Ziegelbauer T, Zimmer E, Taylor J, De Angelis Rigotti F, Stögbauer A, Giaimo BD, Cerwenka A, Borggrefe T, Fischer A*, Rodriguez-Vita J* (2022) Endothelial RBPJ Is Essential for the Education of Tumor-Associated Macrophages. Cancer Res. 82(23):4414-4428. *, equal contribution
7. Weis EM, Puchalska P, Nelson AB, Taylor J, Moll I, Hasan SS, Dewenter M, Hagenmuller M, Fleming T, Poschet G, Hotz-Wagenblatt A, Backs J, Crawford PA, Fischer A (2022) Ketone body oxidation increases cardiac endothelial cell proliferation. EMBO Mol Med. e14753. PMID: 35179309
8. Hasan SS, Jabs M, Taylor J, Wiedmann L, Leibing T, Nordstrom V, Federico G, Roma LP, Carlein C, Wolff G, Ekim-Ustunel B, Brune M, Moll I, Tetzlaff F, Grone HJ, Fleming T, Geraud C, Herzig S, Nawroth PP, Fischer A (2020) Endothelial Notch signaling controls insulin transport in muscle. EMBO Mol Med. 12: e09271. PMID: 32187826
9. Jabs M, Rose AJ, Lehmann LH, Taylor J, Moll I, Sijmonsma TP, Herberich SE, Sauer SW, Poschet G, Federico G, Mogler C, Weis EM, Augustin HG, Yan M, Gretz N, Schmid RM, Adams RH, Grone HJ, Hell R, Okun JG, Backs J, Nawroth PP, Herzig S, Fischer A (2018) Inhibition of Endothelial Notch Signaling Impairs Fatty Acid Transport and Leads to Metabolic and Vascular Remodeling of the Adult Heart. Circulation 137: 2592-2608. PMID: 29353241
10. Wieland E, Rodriguez-Vita J, Liebler SS, Mogler C, Moll I, Herberich SE, Espinet E, Herpel E, Menuchin A, Chang-Claude J, Hoffmeister M, Gebhardt C, Brenner H, Trumpp A, Siebel CW, Hecker M, Utikal J, Sprinzak D, Fischer A (2017) Endothelial Notch1 Activity Facilitates Metastasis. Cancer Cell 31: 355-367. PMID: 28238683
11. Feldner A, Adam MG, Tetzlaff F, Moll I, Komljenovic D, Sahm F, Bäuerle T, Ishikawa H, Schroten H, Korff T, Hofmann I, Wolburg H, von Deimling A, Fischer A. (2017) Loss of Mpdz impairs ependymal cell integrity leading to perinatal-onset hydrocephalus in mice EMBO Mol Med. 9(7):890-905. PMID: 28500065
12. Yang WJ, Hu J, Uemura A, Tetzlaff F, Augustin HG, Fischer A (2015) Semaphorin-3C signals through Neuropilin-1 and PlexinD1 receptors to inhibit pathological angiogenesis. EMBO Mol Med 7: 1267-1284. PMID: 26194913
13. Adam MG, Berger C, Feldner A, Yang WJ, Wustehube-Lausch J, Herberich SE, Pinder M, Gesierich S, Hammes HP, Augustin HG, Fischer A (2013) Synaptojanin-2 binding protein stabilizes the Notch ligands DLL1 and DLL4 and inhibits sprouting angiogenesis. Circ Res 113: 1206-1218. PMID: 24025447
14. Brutsch R, Liebler SS, Wustehube J, Bartol A, Herberich SE, Adam MG, Telzerow A, Augustin HG, Fischer A (2010) Integrin cytoplasmic domain-associated protein-1 attenuates sprouting angiogenesis. Circ Res 107: 592-601. PMID: 20616313
15. Wüstehube J, Bartol A, Liebler SS, Brütsch R, Zhu Y, Felbor U, Sure U, Augustin HG, Fischer A. (2010) Cerebral cavernous malformation protein CCM1 inhibits sprouting angiogenesis by activating DELTA-NOTCH signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107(28):12640-5. PMID: 20616044
16. Fischer A, Steidl C, Wagner TU, Lang E, Jakob PM, Friedl P, Knobeloch KP, Gessler M. (2007) Combined loss of Hey1 and HeyL causes congenital heart defects because of impaired epithelial to mesenchymal transition Circ Res. 100(6):856-63. PMID: 17303760
17. Fischer A, Schumacher N, Maier M, Sendtner M, Gessler M. (2004) The Notch target genes Hey1 and Hey2 are required for embryonic vascular development Genes Dev. 18(8):901-11. PMID: 15107403