Berlin: March 19th, 2015.

For the twelfth consecutive time, the René Baumgart-Research Award was announced for a scientific work in the field of pulmonary hypertension. Within the scope of the 56th Congress of the German Society for Pneumology and Respiration Medicine, Berlin this time the price was awarded to our colleague Dr. Julia Hoffmann as well as to Dr. Jochen Wilhelm, Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany. Prof. Ralf Ewert of the University Medical Centre Greifswald, Germany made the laudation. Hans-Dieter Kulla, Chairperson of the Self-Help Association “Pulmonary Hypertension” and Anne-Christin Kopp, cousin of the name giver of the foundation, handed the price.

left to right: Anne Kopp, Dr. Julia Hoffmann, Dr. Jochen Wilhelm, Prof. Ralf Ewert, Hans-Dieter Kulla. Copyright: René Baumgart-Foundation.

In the excellent study of Dr. Hoffmann and Dr. Wilhelm, it is proved that there are –  in spite of similar rebuilding processes of the lung vessels of patients with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with pulmonary hypertension – significant differences in the genetic expression pattern of the lung arteries which influence the retinol metabolism and the signal pathways via the extra-cellular matrix. Using this knowledge, specific therapies could be developed for pulmonary hypertension patients with COPD and IPF.

Julia Hoffmann
Dr. Julia Hoffmann graduated in Biology in 2006 at the University Lake Constance and started her thesis – supervised by Dr. Wolfgang Kübler – in Berlin, Germany at the Institute of Physiology of the Charité. In 2012 she continued her scientific work about pulmonary hypertension as a postdoc in the research group of Dr. Grazyna Kwapiszewska at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Vascular Research in Graz, Austria.

René Baumgart-Foundation
The René Baumgart-Foundation was founded in 2001 by the Self-Help Association “Pulmonary Hypertension”.  Since 2004 each year a scientific award has been announced. The René Baumgart-Foundation supports clinical research about pulmonary hypertension in adults and children. The aim of the foundation is to gain new knowledge about pulmonary hypertension in order to enable an early diagnosis as well as new long-term therapy options that reduce the complaints of the patients and finally cure the disease.
The name giver of the René Baumgart-Foundation was born in Aalen in 1971. His mum died due to idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) when René was 10 years old. René got his diagnosis of IPAH when he was 19 years old. Before he was able to finish his education as a print worker and could perform the mastership examination, due to the disease he died at the age of 23.

An informationen of the René Baumgart-Foundation.