Welcome to the Institute of Pharmacology

The Institute of Pharmacology belongs to the clinical-theoretical institutes of the University Medical Center Mainz. Our core tasks include internationally competitive, basic pharmacological research as well as the training of young physicians and scientists.

At our institute, we investigate the basic molecular mechanisms of cell-cell communication and their dysregulation in a wide variety of pathological conditions. In particular, we focus on so-called receptors, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), which are among the most important drug targets. Cellular receptors mediate cell-cell communication and, for this purpose, use intracellular second messengers such as cyclic nucleotides and nitric oxide. At our institute, we investigate the spatial and temporal production, spread, and destruction of such intracellular signals in healthy and diseased cells with the ambitious goal of identifying and validating novel drug targets. The dysregulation of cellular communication appears to be important in a wide variety of diseases. At the Institute of Pharmacology, we are particularly interested in cardiovascular, urogenital, and immunological diseases, taking gender-specific characteristics into account.

To address these complex, translational questions, we use a broad range of technologies that allow us to conduct pharmacological studies in individual cells, isolated tissues and organs, and in genetically modified animal models. To do this, we develop genetically encoded biosensors that serve as "molecular spies" and enable us to observe cellular processes in real time using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy. These modern techniques are complemented by classical biochemical, molecular biological, and cell biological methods.

Our research is internationally visible and we are helping to ensure that JGU is ranked among the top three universities in Germany and among the top 100 universities worldwide in the field of pharmacology and toxicology. Professor Martin Michel has been the most cited expert on bladder diseases in Germany over the past 10 years; he ranks 21st worldwide. In 2024, Dr. Andy Wing Chung Man from the lab of Professor Huige Li and PD Dr. Ning Xia won the Boehringer Ingelheim Prize.

At our institute, we provide modern, high-quality teaching that has been rated as exellent by students for years. In 2023, Professor Ellen Closs was awarded the JGU Teaching Prize for her outstanding teaching achievements. The focus of our teaching commitment is pharmacology and toxicology, clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy for medical students. We also offer pharmacology classes for students of biomedicine, biomedical chemistry, and psychology & psychotherapy. We are deeply committed to training young scientists and offer a wide range of research opportunities to obtain academic degrees (BSc, MSc, MD, PhD).

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our research and teaching.

Best regards,

Yours,
Professor Andreas Bock, PhD
Director of the Institute of Pharmacology