Members of the Institute
Pfeifer Group
Alexander Pfeifer has a long-standing interest in cellular signaling, molecular pharmacology and academic drug research. He has been doing pioneering work in the field of purinergic signaling and the NO/cGMP pathway as well as contributed to the field of G-protein coupled receptors. For several years, he has studied these pharmacologically important signaling pathways to identify drug targets and to develop novel therapeutic approaches. A major focus of his research lies on metabolic diseases and energy homeostasis. He is speaker of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center CRC/TRR333 “BATenergy”.
Another important topic of his research is gene and drug delivery, where he is focusing on lentiviral vectors and nanoparticles to deliver genetic material and drug molecules respectively, to target specific cells and tissues. He was also the speaker of the DFG Research Unit FOR917 and the DAAD Strategic Network Europe-Japan on multimodal nanoparticles.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Pfeifer
Venusberg Campus 1
53127 Bonn
von Kügelgen Group
Ivar von Kügelgen focuses on purinergic transmission and the molecular pharmacology of P2Y receptors and related orphan receptors. He is highly interested in the clarification of the physiological as well as pathophysiological roles of these receptors and their molecular pharmacological properties.
Li Group
Yongguo Li has strong expertise in pharmacologically targeting GPCRs and GPCR signaling, especially Gs-coupled cAMP signaling, in metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. His group employs a combination of state-of-the-art molecular technologies, organoids, and pharmacological screening to study the role of GPCR/cAMP signaling on fat metabolism to reveal druggable GPCRs and potential drugs that target them. The central research goal is to unravel potential therapeutically targetable mechanisms and promising drugs, which have fundamental implications for achieving metabolic health and combating metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.”
Wang Group
Tongtong Wang has been a member of our institute since June 2025. She and her research group are studying the heterogeneity of adipose tissue under various physiological and pathological conditions. They focus on how this heterogeneity influences energy expenditure, adipocyte metabolic function, and the course of obesity. By uncovering the fundamental mechanisms of adipose tissue, the ultimate goal is to identify new and effective therapeutic targets to combat obesity.
Teaching
The Insitute of Pharmacology and Toxicology is involved in the training of students from a variety of disciplines. This includes, among other things, the studies of Medicine and Dentistry and the Master's programs of Master of Drug Research and Neuroscience, as well as the Bachelor's Program in Molecular Biomedicine.
