Institut für Klinische Chemie und Pathobiochemie
Zentrallabor

Our research focuses on physical exercise as major component in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The regulation of signal transduction pathways resulting in alterations in gene expression, processing of transcripts, protein translation and posttranslational modifications is the key for the adaptation to physical activity and improvement of metabolic homoeostasis. Together with the IDM and the Sports Medicine of the University Hospital we investigate the underlying mechanisms in human exercise intervention studies, mouse exercise models and primary human cell culture models. To identify the exercise-regulated signaling molecules we apply molecular biological and multi-Omics technologies (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics). In addition to skeletal muscle, other tissues and organs respond to exercise. In cooperation with the Centre for Physical Activity Research and the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen we unravel the regulation and tissue origin of exercise factors (e.g. myokines, hepatokines, metabolites). Together with the Metabolic Neuroimaging Department of the IDM we study the impact of exercise on brain processes (metabolic control, cognitive function). 

The adaptation of mitochondria to exercise and overnutrition is an important factor in the prevention, development and progression of metabolic diseases. We apply functional assays to assess mitochondrial respiration, substrate preference, reactive oxygen species production and membrane potential in relation to changes in the mitochondrial proteome and lipid profile.

This part of our research aim to develop and optimize novel analytical approaches and strategies in the field of Clinical Chemistry as well as biomedical separation sciences, with a special focus on metabolomics and lipidomics strategies. Analytical limitations in our biomedical projects encourage us to develop and establish new, suitable solutions for our cooperation partners. Moreover, sample preparation procedures for multi-omics analysis saving valuable biomedical material (e.g. from biopsies) by the use of minute amounts of samples is another research interest. These goals go hand in hand with our interest in pre-analytical processes aiming to achieve high sample quality not only for –omics analysis and biomarker research, but also for biobanking. The investigation of sample stability, as well as testing the robustness of biomarkers in body fluids for diagnostic purposes is another goal.

Our analytical expertise ranges from various gel electrophoretic techniques to respiration measurements of mitochondria to UPLC-MS-driven metabolomics and lipidomics. Other main topics in the past were new applications of capillary electrophoresis in Clinical Chemistry, as well as studies on the function and regulation of insulin signal transduction including the development of nanoLC-MS strategies for the identification of novel phosphorylation sites in insulin signal transduction proteins. We have a longstanding, very fruitful Sino-German cooperation including regular exchange of scientist with the group of Prof. Guowang Xu at the CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Dalian, China) (see also publication list of R. Lehmann).