Hanßen, Ruth - assoc. RG

The focus of Dr. Ruth Hanßen's research group is on investigating the causes of metabolic diseases, in particular overweight and obesity, as well as improving and developing new treatment options for long-term weight reduction. Although lack of exercise and excessive food intake have long been known to be the main causes of obesity, conservative approaches to weight reduction based on changes in eating and exercise behavior are only successful in the long term in around 17% to 20% of patients. To date, the mechanisms at the neurobiological, endocrinological, immunological and genetic/epigenetic level, that lead to sustained weight loss and improvement of obesity-associated diseases, are still insufficiently understood. Our research group works on disentangling these mechanisms in humans focusing on body-brain interactions and translating the latest basic scientific findings from cell/animal studies to humans and clinical application. Our aim is to develop personalized and sustainable treatment options for patients with obesity.

For more information about Dr. Hanßen´s research and work, please visit the following page: AG Hanßen

• CMMC Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne
• Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research
• CECAD Research Center