MD-LEICS – Modern Diseases – Leipzig Clinician Scientist program

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thomas Ebert, since 1/2023
• Subject Area: Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism ; Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics ; Gynaecology and Obstetrics ; Cardiology, Angiology ; Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine ; Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 493646873

The clinician scientist (CS) program MD-LEICS (Modern Diseases LEIpzig Clinician Scientists) aims to advance innovative, disease- and patient-oriented scientific training in the field of non-communicable diseases of modern societies. MD-LEICS focuses on obesity, eating disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, promoting translation of recent advances in defining modern disease mechanisms and treatment targets by basic scientists into clinical applications in humans. It is open to research projects representing the entire trajectory of life from intra-uterine and early childhood to advanced age. MD-LEICS will provide a structured program for pre-qualified clinicians in specialty or subspecialty training to consolidate pre-existing similar programs at the Faculty of Medicine in Leipzig. They have been systematically developed and tested over the years as part of extramurally funded consortial research programs (e.g. Gerok, MetaRot positions). Leipzig‘s track record is documented by the recently renewed CRC 1052 Obesity Mechanisms, the successful IFB AdiposityDiseases, transformed into the Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) at the Medical Faculty and the University Hospital, and the recently awarded SaxoCHILD application making us a member of the new German Centre for Childhood and Adolescents Medicine (DZKJM). All of these have a strong clinical, patient-oriented and translational dimension, creating an environment ideally suited for the next generation physicians in research. Ongoing cohort and biobanking programs (LIFE/CHILD/HEART, Obesity Biobank, N’s > 10,000) provide unique access points for numerous clinical disciplines. Moreover, recent high-level recruitments to Leipzig, e.g. in cardiology and laboratory medicine, have expanded our critical scientific mass. Within this unique infrastructure, we will investigate adipose tissue dysfunction, role of microbiome, sex hormones and distinct lipids, environmental factors, sterile inflammation in atherosclerosis, central mechanisms of cardio-metabolic disorders, intra-uterine priming for accelerated vascular diseases, psychosocial and (trans)gender interference, molecular and epigenetic mediators. Finally, faculty and hospital have been running a competitive generic CS program for about 5 years serving as successful local template. With MD-LEICS, we can not only harmonize running CS activities, but create a widely recognized program attracting fresh talents to Leipzig. In the vicinity to the basic science groups (biochemistry, bioinformatics, chemistry) of the CRC 1052 and HI-MAG, young physicians will be able to combine their medical with scientific training and provide a long-term link between basic and translational science at the University Medical Center. We are confident that this program will promote a mindset and future clinical investigators for our planned Cluster of Excellence initiative „Metabolic syndrome - causes and consequences“.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Matthias Blüher, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Berend Isermann; Professorin Dr. Anette Kersting; Professor Dr. Michael Stumvoll
• Ehemalige Antragstellerin: Professorin Dr. Antje Körner, until 1/2023