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REBIRTH Members

Kraft, Theresia, Prof. Dr. rer. nat.
Work Group Leader
REBIRTH Unit Large Animal Models - Subgroub Cardiovascular Models, Institute for Molecular- and Cell Physiology, MHH
Biography / About
Date of Birth: | February, 1960 |
Function: | W2-University Professor, Specialist physiologist (Fachphysiologin), Group leader |
Education:
1979 | Higher secondary education (Abitur) |
1979 - 1980 | Social services |
1980 - 1981 | Undergraduate studies in Chemistry, University of Tübingen |
1981 - 1986 | Undergraduate studies in Biology, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg and University of Tübingen |
1986 | Diploma thesis, Institute of Physiology I, University of Tübingen |
12/1986 | Diploma in Biology, University of Tübingen |
1987 - 1990 | 1987-90 Graduated in Physiology (Dr. rer. nat. in Biology), University of Tübingen |
2001 | Post-doctoral lecturing qualification (Habilitation) and Venia legendi in Physiology, Hannover Medical School (MHH) |
Academic appointments and Research posts:
1986 - 1988 | Research assistant, Institut of Physiology I and II, University of Tübingen |
1988 - 1990 | Research assistant, Dept. of General Physiology, University of Ulm |
1990 - 1993 | Research associate, Dept. General Physiology, University of Ulm |
1989 - 1993 | Several short sabbaticals (total of 14 months), NIAMS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA |
1991 - 1999 | Several short sabbaticals (total of 4 month) at the Institute for Cell Biology, ETH Zürich, Switzerland |
1993 - 1994 | Research Associate, Clinical Physiology, MHH |
1994 - 1995 | Visiting Fellow at the Laboratory of Physical Biology, NIAMS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA |
1995 - 1997 | Research Associate, Clinical Physiology, MHH |
1997 - 2008 | Tenure, Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cell Physiology, MHH |
Since 2008 | Full Professor (W2), group leader, Focus on prof physiology (Schwerpunktprofessur für Physiologie), Molecular and Cell Physiology, MHH |
Other professional activities:
Reviewer for DFG including program projects and international awards, ZonMw (Netherlands), ÖAW, DAAD, various national foundations and universities. | |
Reviewer for The Journal of Physiology, Journal of Molecular Biology, The Journal of Cell Biology, Biophysical Journal, Frontiers in Physiology and others |
Awards and Prizes:
1989 - 1995 | Several Fellowships of the Courtesy Associates, Inc., Washington, D.C., USA and Fogarty-Fellowship for sabbaticals and postdoc at the Laboratory of Physical Biology, NIAMS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. |
Major research interests:
- Pathomechanisms in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)
- Cardiac and skeletal muscle physiology
- hESC and hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes
- Regulation of sarcomere protein expression
Furthemore:
Many years of experience in teaching Physiology to students in medicine and natural sciences.
Selected Publications:
- Kraft T, Montag J, Radocaj A, Brenner B. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Cell-to-cell imbalance in gene expression and contraction force as trigger for disease phenotype development. Circ Res. 2016 Oct 14;119(9):992-995.
- Weber N, Schwanke K, Greten S, Wendland M, Iorga B, Fischer M, Geers-Knörr C, Hegermann J, Wrede C, Fiedler J, Kempf H, Franke A, Piep B, Pfanne A, Thum T, Martin U, Brenner B, Zweigerdt R, Kraft T. Stiff matrix induces switch to pure β-cardiac myosin heavy chain expression in human ESC-derived cardiomyocytes. Basic Res Cardiol. 2016 Nov;111(6):68.
- Brenner B, Seebohm B, Tripathi S, Montag J, Kraft T. Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: functional variance among individual cardiomyocytes as a trigger of FHC-phenotype development. Front Physiol. 2014 Oct 10;5:392.
- Mutig N, Geers-Knoerr C, Piep B, Pahuja A, Vogt PM, Brenner B, Niederbichler AD, Kraft T. Lipoteichoic acid from Staphylococcus aureus directly affects cardiomyocyte contractility and calcium transients. Mol Immunol. 2013; 56 (4): 720–728.
- Kraft T, Witjas-Paalberends ER, Boontje NM, Tripathi S, Brandis A, Montag J, Hodgkinson JL, Francino A, Navarro-Lopez F, Brenner B, Stienen G, van der Velden J. Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Functional effects of myosin mutation R723G in cardiomyocytes. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2013; 57, 13-22.
- Brenner B, Hahn N, Hanke E, Matinmehr F, Scholz T, Steffen W, Kraft T. Mechanical and kinetic properties of beta-cardiac/slow skeletal muscle myosin. J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2012; 33(6):403-17.
- Tripathi S, Schultz I, Becker E, Montag J, Borchert B, Francino A, Navarro-Lopez F, Perrot A, Ozcelik C, Osterziel KJ, McKenna WJ, Brenner B, Kraft T. Unequal allelic expression of wild-type and mutated beta-myosin in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Basic Res Cardiol. 2011; 106:1041–1055.
- Seebohm B, Matinmehr F, Köhler J, Francino A, Navarro-Lopéz F, Perrot A, Özcelik C, McKenna WJ, Brenner B, Kraft T. Cardiomyopathy mutations reveal variable region of myosin converter as major element of cross-bridge compliance. Bioph J. 2009; 97: 806-824.
- Becker E, Navarro-López F, Francino A, Brenner B, Kraft T. Quantification of mutant versus wildtype myosin in human muscle biopsies using nanoLC ESI MS. Anal Chem. 2007; 79 (24), 9531-8.
- Kraft T, Mählmann E, Mattei T, Brenner B. Initiation of the power stroke in muscle: Insights from the phosphate analog AlF4. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005; 102(39): 13861-13866.
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