Marc Freichel

Prof. Dr. Marc Freichel

Director of General Pharmacology and Managing Director of the Institute of Pharmacology

University of Heidelberg.

After receiving my medical degree and doctorate in medical biochemistry, I obtained training in clinical cardiology and endocrinology, and then started my research on the (patho)physiological role of TRP channels for which I established numerous transgenic animal models. After my habilitation, I was Professor of Experimental Pharmacology and head of the transgenic mouse facility at the University of Saarland (2004-2011), where I also chaired the committee for animal protection from 2009 to 2011.

Since 2011, I have been head of the Department of General Pharmacology at the University of Heidelberg, where my research focuses on ion channels in the plasma membrane and in endo-lysosomes and their role in cardiac remodeling and arrhythmias, metabolism, neuroinflammation and in mast cells. I co-founded CalTIC (https://cal-tic.com), a spin-off company that explores therapeutic approaches of TRPC channel inhibitors. My lab also develops disease models in animal and iPS-derived models as wells as therapeutic approaches using genome editing technologies.

With my team I am involved several collaborative research networks including Transregio-SFB 152 ("TRiPs to homeostasis"), the German Center for Cardiovascular Research and SFB 1550 ("Molecular Circuits of Heart Disease"), where I coordinate the CardioScience Integrated Research Training Group.

I teach pharmacology in several degree programs and mentor students and researchers in preclinical drug development, transgenic technologies, and Ca2+ signaling. As a specialist in pharmacology and toxicology, I am a member of the board and the training committee of the German Society of Pharmacology (DGP) and an advisor for drug therapy trials in the Heidelberg Ethics Committee.