The Center for Alcohol Research (CAR)
The Center for Alcohol Research (CAR) is located both at the Department of Medicine at 
Salem Medical Center and the Theoretikum (INF 365) of the University of Heidelberg. Major goals are to better understand disease-mechanisms of chronic alcohol consumption, namely alcoholic liver disease and cancer. Major funding comes from the DFG, the NIH, the Dietmar Hopp foundation and the Manfred Lautenschläger foundation. The CAR team consists of physicians, scientists, technicians and study nurses. CAR is headed by Helmut K. Seitz (director) and Sebastian Mueller (co-director).
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H.K. Seitz | S. Mueller |
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| Molecular biology team: | Clinical study team: |
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Vanessa Rausch, PhD | Julia Mutzek, study coordinator |
Long term aims are:
- to better understand underlying molecular mechanisms of liver diseases and alcohol-related diseases
- to improve diagnosis and therapy of liver diseases
Actual translational research topics focus on
- liver diseases
- alcoholic liver disease
- cancer (hepatocellular and colorectal cancer)
- non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis
- fatty liver and steatohepatitis
- iron overload disorders
- liver stiffness
Actual basic research topics are related to
- molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress
- redox-regulation
- detection of reactive oxygen species
- novel models for oxidative stress and hypoxia
- inflammation and iron homeastasis
- mechanisms of alcohol-mediated cancerogenesis
- biomechanics and extracellular matrix (fibrosis and cirrhosis)
Ongoing clinical studies include:
- Hepatoprotective effects of Nalmefene, DELIVER
- Non-invasive diagnosis of liver steatosis by CAP
- Non-invasive diagnosis of liver cirrhosis
- Non-invasive diagnosis of liver iron overload by susceptometry
- alcohol and cancer (breast, colon cancer etc.)
- CALVADOS study. Hepatoprotective alcohol detoxification with chlormethiazole
- Genetic factors of alcoholic liver cirrhosis (international GWAS consortium on liver disease)
