About

Sven Heinz is an Associate Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego, with a background in chemistry from the University of Regensburg, where he earned his Diplom in 1996 and his Ph.D. in 2002. His research activities focus on understanding how transcription disrupts genome 3D organization, with a particular emphasis on molecular and genetic analysis. He has contributed to the field through studies on chromatin profiling, transcription factors, and genome decoding, utilizing advanced techniques such as spa-ChIP-seq. His work explores the impacts of condition variations on chromatin and transcriptional regulation, as well as the role of transcription factors in cellular identity and disease processes, including atherosclerosis, pancreatic cancer, and liver disease.

Research topics

• Biology
• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Genetics
• Cell biology
• Biochemistry
• Ophthalmology
• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Computational biology
• Cancer research
• Virology
• Endocrinology

Selected publications

• Chromosome 10q26–driven age-related macular degeneration is associated with reduced levels of <i>HTRA1</i> in human retinal pigment epithelium

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2021 · 60 citations

  • Biology
  • Genetics
  • Ophthalmology

  mRNA and protein in Chr10 risk donors impairs this protective function, leading to increased risk of AMD pathogenesis. HtrA1 augmentation, not inhibition, in high-risk patients should be considered as a potential therapy for AMD.

  DOI

• TOP1 inhibition therapy protects against SARS-CoV-2-induced lethal inflammation

  Cell · 2021 · 121 citations

  • Biology
  • Virology
  • Immunology
  DOI

• Identification of Lineage-Specific Transcription Factors That Prevent Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells and Promote Fibrosis Resolution

  Gastroenterology · 2020 · 192 citations

  • Cell biology
  • Computational biology
  • Biology
  DOI

• Ncor2/PPARα-Dependent Upregulation of MCUb in the Type 2 Diabetic Heart Impacts Cardiac Metabolic Flexibility and Function

  Diabetes · 2020 · 38 citations

  • Biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Internal medicine

  ) in vivo rescued T2D cardiomyocytes from metabolic inflexibility and stimulated cardiac contractile function and adrenergic responsiveness by enhancing phospholamban phosphorylation via protein kinase A. We conclude that MCUb represents one newly discovered molecular effector at the interface of metabolism and cardiac function, and its repression improves the outcome of the chronically stressed diabetic heart.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Diabetes Research Center (DRC)

  NIH · $15.7M · 2002–2028

• How transcription disrupts genome 3D organization

  NIH · $1.3M · 2020–2023

• NIH Grant F32HL083752

  NIH · $102k · 2009

Frequent coauthors

• Christopher Benner

  University of California, San Diego

  47 shared

• Christopher K. Glass

  University of California, San Diego

  26 shared

• Lorane Texari

  Nestlé (Switzerland)

  10 shared

• Michael Rehli

  University Hospital Regensburg

  10 shared

• Minna U. Kaikkonen

  University of Eastern Finland

  9 shared

• Stefan W. Krause

  Universitätsklinikum Erlangen

  9 shared

• Michael G.B. Hayes

  8 shared

• Reinhard Andreesen

  8 shared

Education

• Dr. rer. nat, Chemistry

  Universität Regensburg

  2002

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