German Heart Center, TUM University Hospital, Technical University of Munich (TUM) | Germany
Dr. Zhifen Chen is an Independent Junior Group Leader at the German Heart Center, Technical University of Munich, specializing in experimental cardiology. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Hubei Normal University and a Master of Science from Tsinghua University. Dr. Chen completed her PhD at the Technical University of Munich with a summa cum laude distinction, focusing on human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac disease modeling, therapeutic discovery, and safety pharmacology. She pursued postdoctoral research at Harvard University and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, contributing to functional genomics, CRISPR-based screening, and cardiovascular disease studies. Her research focuses on the genetics and molecular mechanisms of coronary artery disease, adipose tissue biology, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular precision medicine. Dr. Chen has secured multiple competitive grants, including from the DFG, DZHK, and international cardiovascular research partnerships. She has received numerous awards and honors, such as PhD summa cum laude, international travel awards, and conference prizes. She actively supervises postdoctoral researchers, PhD, MD, Master, and Bachelor students, and contributes to scientific communities as a reviewer, consortium member, and workshop organizer. Dr. Chen’s work integrates genome editing, transcriptomics, and advanced in vitro models to identify novel therapeutic targets, advancing cardiovascular research and translational medicine.
Profile : Orcid
Featured Publications
von Scheidt, M., Adkar, S. S., Krefting, J., Hoermann, G., Meggendorfer, M., Bauer, S., Mitchell, S., Pugach, I., Friess, C., Ma, A., et al. (2025). “Clonal Haematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential and Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease.” European Heart Journal.
Xu, C., Nie, X., Chen, Z., Qu, J. Z., & Wang, D. (2025). “Stenotic Left Atrioventricular Valve after Atrioventricular Septal Defect Repair: A Distinct Surgical Phenotype.” The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
Chen, Z., Li, S., Song, X., Diagel, A., Li, L., Moggio, A., Li, Z., Chen, Y., Dang, T., Li, M., et al. (2025). “An Interplay of Non-Coding RNAs Regulates CDH13 Expression and Affects Endothelial Function and Coronary Artery Disease Risk.” Preprint.
Byers, P., Kellerer, T., Li, M., Chen, Z., Huser, T., & Hellerer, T. (2025). “Super-Resolution Upgrade for Deep Tissue Imaging Featuring Simple Implementation.” Nature Communications.
Sanin, V., Schmieder, R. S., Koenig, W., Li, L., Schunkert, H., & Chen, Z. (2025). “Rolle der Genetik in der Präzisionsmedizin der Koronaren Herzkrankheit.” Herz.