CRC 1550, "Molecular Circuits of Heart Disease", is focused on how inherited and acquired causes such as gene mutations or common metabolic diseases resulting from poor diet or lack of exercise lead to the development of heart disease. The work at the new Collaborative Research Centre, which is located at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg, is based on current findings that point to changes in gene expression at different levels as a cause of heart dysfunction. In order to understand the regulatory mechanisms in this process from gene to gene product, the researchers of CRC 1550 use epigenetic, RNA-biological, and biochemical methods, combining them with metabolic research, complex patient-oriented model systems and computer-assisted data analysis. They are hoping to find out which specific or common molecular switches can serve as new targets for tailored therapies. Prof. Dr Johannes Backs will serve as the CRC spokesperson. He is Director of the Institute of Experimental Cardiology, which was founded in 2018 and is a department within the Center for Internal Medicine of Heidelberg University Hospital. The CRC, which also involves researchers from the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and the German Cancer Research Center, has approx. 14 million euros in funding at its disposal.