Associate Professor of Internal Medicine III

Division of Nephrology and Dialysis
Department of Internal Medicine III
Währinger Gürtel 18-20
1090 Vienna, Austria

Phone: +43 (0)1 40400 - 55930
FAX: +43 (0)1 40400 - 77900

E-mail: marcus.saemann@meduniwien.ac.at

Research Interest
Pro-inflammatory effects of HDL in chronic renal disease, proteomic composition of uremic HDL, molecular mechanism of HDL dysfunctions.

High-density Lipoprotein and inflammation in chronic renal disease

One of our central research interests is the characterization of High-density lipoprotein (HDL) quality in chronic renal disease at the molecular and functional level.

Cardiovascular mortality is highly prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which is centrally driven by a state of chronic inflammation in these patients.

HDL usually possesses strong anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties that are defective in ESRD patients.
Our work focuses on identifying molecular mechanisms responsible for the conversion of HDL into a dysfunctional, pro-inflammatory particle in uremic conditions.
By proteomic profiling we identify disease-specific remodeling to characterize a distinct HDL profile which can be linked to functional impairments in CKD and ESRD.

Currently, we are interested in the molecular properties of HDL after renal transplantation to determine if impaired HDL quality can be restored with recovery of renal function.
Our experimental approaches include proteomic analysis, a wide spectrum of immunological analytical methods and cell culture techniques.


Selected References

Marsche G, Säemann MD, Heinemann A, Holzer M. Pharmacol Ther. Inflammation alters HDL composition and function: implications for HDL-raising therapies. 2013 Mar;137(3):341-51

Weichhart T, Kopecky C, Kubicek M, Haidinger M, Döller D, Katholnig K, Suarna C, Eller P, Tölle M, Gerner C, Zlabinger GJ, van der Giet M, Hörl WH, Stocker R, Säemann MD. Serum amyloid A in uremic HDL promotes inflammation. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2012 May;23(5):934-47.