German Center for Cardiovascular Research e. V. / Deutsches Zentrum fur Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung e. V. (DZHK)

About us:
Cardiovascular medicine has made great strides in recent decades. In the past ten years, myocardial infarction mortality has decreased by almost 50 percent. This development can be attributed to better medications for treating elevated cholesterol levels and fewer smokers. And yet, cardiovascular diseases remain at the top of the disease statistics: According to the German Federal Statistical Office, coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction and heart failure were the three most frequent causes of death in Germany in 2011.

In efforts to make further advances, patient-oriented, interdisciplinary research based on large-scale studies, cohorts and biobanks is becoming increasingly important. The German Center for Cardiovascular Disease (DZHK) has created a space for research projects of this kind. It provides a framework that allows researchers to work together to translate their research ideas into clinical practice better and faster than before. The main objective of the DZHK is to make new research results available to all patients in Germany as quickly as possible and to advance not only treatments but also diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

In cardiovascular research, a centre with a nationwide reach provides many advantages. This field has seen enormous progress in recent years; for this reason further progress is expected to be incremental rather than paradigmatic. To continue to make progress, ever larger multi-centre clinical studies, patient registries and biobanks will be needed. This can be implemented much better in one nationwide centre than in many small single institutions. At the seven DZHK partner sites – Berlin, Göttingen, Greifswald, Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Heidelberg/Mannheim, Munich and Rhine-Main – more than 140 recognized experts are working in concert.