Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage
Academic Career and Research Areas
Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage is Professor of Exercise Biology at the Technical University of Munich and heads the Exercise Biology research group. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which exercise improves performance, fitness, and health. Key areas include the metabolic reprogramming of skeletal muscle in response to training, the role of muscle hypertrophy in the prevention of obesity and type 2 diabetes, systemic effects of exercise on the blood metabolome and proteome, as well as mechanisms of ageing. A particular focus is the DFG-funded research unit FOR 5795 HyperMet, which he leads. This research unit investigates how muscle growth (hypertrophy) and muscle loss (atrophy) influence metabolic health and aims to uncover the metabolic mechanisms underlying these effects. The goal is to develop novel, muscle-centred strategies for the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.
In addition, his research addresses ageing and longevity. In the TauAge study, one of the first placebo-controlled human trials in this field, his team investigates whether the amino acid taurine can slow biological ageing in humans and how this affects health and physical performance. Prof. Wackerhage obtained his PhD at the German Sport University Cologne and subsequently held academic positions at universities in the United Kingdom before being appointed to TUM in 2016.
Key Publications
Verbrugge SAJ, Schonfelder M, Becker L, Yaghoob Nezhad F, Hrabe de Angelis M, Wackerhage H: "Genes Whose Gain or Loss-Of-Function Increases Skeletal Muscle Mass in Mice: A Systematic Literature Review". Frontiers in Physiology. 2018; 9: 553.
AbstractTremblay AM, Missiaglia E, Galli GG, Hettmer S, Urcia R, Carrara M, Judson RN, Thway K, Nadal G, Selfe JL et al: “The Hippo Transducer YAP1 Transforms Activated Satellite Cells and Is a Potent Effector of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma Formation”. Cancer Cell. 2014; 26(2): 273-287.
AbstractJudson RN, Tremblay AM, Knopp P, White RB, Urcia R, De Bari C, Zammit PS, Camargo FD, Wackerhage H: “The Hippo pathway member Yap plays a key role in influencing fate decisions in muscle satellite cells”. Journal of Cell Science. 2012; 125: 6009-6019.
AbstractMutsch B, Heiber M, Grätz F, Hain R, Schönfelder M, Kaps S, Schranner D, Kähler CJ, Wackerhage H. „Aerosol particle emission increases exponentially above moderate exercise intensity resulting in superemission during maximal exercise” PNAS. 2022; 119: e2202521119.
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