PD Dr. med. Tobias Petzold

Thromboinflammation

I am a senior physician at the German Heart Center of the Charité and a scientist at the Friede Springer - Cardiovascular Prevention Center. As a passionate interventional cardiologist and intensive care physician, my clinical focus is on the care of patients with atherosclerotic heart disease, valvular heart disease and cardiac coagulation replacement procedures.
My scientific interest lies in the investigation of mechanisms during the formation of blood clots (thrombosis). Thromboinflammation, the dysregulated interaction between the coagulation system, the innate immune system and the vascular wall, plays a central role in the formation of thrombosis. The diagnosis and treatment of thromboinflammation represents a clinical challenge, as no specific biomarkers exist and current therapeutic approaches using blood thinning do not adequately treat the inflammatory component. Using a translational research approach in hibernating brown bears and paraplegic patients, we were able to show that evolutionarily conserved protective mechanisms exist that prevent the development of thrombosis. The aim of my research is to investigate the role of these protective mechanisms in patients with cardiovascular diseases in order to establish new preventive measures in the future.
Our innovative work in the field of thrombosis research has been honored with the Franz-Maximilians Goedel Prize of the German Society of Cardiology and the prestigious Gallenus von Pergamon Prize, among others.