Thomas Eschenhagen: Tinkerer of the heart
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- Thomas Eschenhagen specialises in three-dimensional heart models. Source: University Hospital Eppendorf
21.06.2011 -
Thomas Eschenhagen is a builder of models. His specialty, however, is not ships or aircraft, but the human heart. At the Hamburg Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, the physician and his team are exploring the molecular mechanisms of heart failure.The unique feature of their work is that they do not use cells in petri dishes, but three-dimensional biological constructs that very closely resemble a cardiac muscle. Since recently, the models have been developed using human cells. Eschenhagen is also active beyond Hamburg – he is spokesman for the new German Center for Cardiovascular Research.
He’s simply practically disposed; a hobbyist, says Thomas Eschenhagen. No wonder, then, that back in 1994, the physician was the first to construct a three-dimensional biological model of the heart. The ingredients at the time: animal heart cells, collagen, two glass tubes, adhesive tape, and a cast. “I always bought the adhesive tape in a department store,” he says, laughing. Today, the principle is still essentially the same, only the ingredients have evolved. The heart expert mixes isolated heart cells mixed with another carrier, fibrin, a natural hydrogel. “We pour this mixture of cells and hydrogel into a rectangular casting mould, into which we place two flexible silicone rods that are attached to a frame. If we take the gel block with the rods out of the mould, then transfer it all to normal cell culture dish supplied with nutrient medium, within a few days, it is possible to observe with the naked eye how a slender strip emerges out of the gel block between the silicone rods.” The cells bind together, become longer and longer, and in time form strips of muscle; finally, the growing muscle begins to work against the resistance of the elastic silicone rods. The model heart begins to beat.
Molecular biology meets cardiology
From medical school onwards, the heart always held an appeal for the now 51-year-old. “The mechanisms of the heart are so beautifully vivid and understandable at first sight.” After his studies in Hannover, Eschenhagen began his training as a specialist in internal medicine, with a focus on cardiology. “After three years in the clinic, however, I had the feeling of having learnt the basic tools of the trade.” In search of new challenges, he became a research associate at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, working under Professor Hasso Scholz, who became his most important mentor. There, he not only conducted research, but also completed his postgraduate studies in molecular biology. “That was a very important step for me; it gave me a certain advantage over traditional pharmacologists or cardiologists. I was a cardiovascular pharmacologist who also had a clue about molecular biology. Particularly for young researchers, it is beneficial to have a kind of label that they can use to get themselves up and running.”
From the US to France, and on to Hamburg
Eschenhagen became a professor, applied for a coveted Heisenberg Scholarship from the German Research Foundation, and then went on a number of research trips to the United States and France. In 1999, he became Director of the Institute for Clinical Pharmacology in Erlangen, and since 2002 he has been back in Hamburg as Director of the Institute of Experimental Pharmacology at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf. In the meantime, he is also spokesman for the new German Center for Cardiovascular Research, which was officially launched on 9 June by Federal Minister for Education and Research Annette Schavan as one of the six German Centers for Health Research.
Eschenhagen insists that he has always followed his instincts in all his decisions, and that this has worked out well for him. “You can’t do the research if there’s no fun; it occupies enough space in life as it is,” says the heart specialist. This also applies to the support that is provided to young motivated scientists. “Some of my first students are now themselves professors.” It is easy to see how greatly this pleases him.
From model to tissue replacement
In the course of his stopovers, Eschenhagen continued to further refine the production of his cardiac models. Today, his team, headed by Arne Hansen, uses the model to test drugs that can spur the heart back into action following in chronic heart failure. “And they can more quickly uncover the dangerous side effects for the heart of newly developed drugs,” he says. Since recently, instead of animal cells, they have been working with human heart cells differentiated from human embryonic stem cells, and also recently from normal skin cells. “We expect these test results to transfer better to humans,” says Eschenhagen. Although there’s not quite as much tinkering going on day-to-day, the long-term goal is to refine the tissue to such an extent that it can be used in severely damaged hearts, even as a cardiac tissue replacement.
