Daniela Panáková

Prof. Daniela Panáková serves as a DZHK Professor for Cardiac Genetics of Congenital Structural Heart Disease at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, within the Faculty of Medicine at Christian Albrechts University in Kiel. Her research integrates developmental biology, genetics, and clinical cardiology to unravel molecular mechanisms underlying congenital heart defects using zebrafish models.

Her research focuses on congenital heart disease (CHD) affecting 0.8% of newborns, investigating how developmental signaling pathways (particularly Wnt), mechanical cues, and electrical activity regulate cardiac cell fate and tissue regeneration. She combines zebrafish disease modeling with clinical collaborations to advance gene/variant prioritization, patient stratification, and personalized therapies targeting cardiac maladaptation.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals strong emphasis on Wnt signaling pathway dynamics, zebrafish cardiac regeneration mechanisms, and translational applications for kidney-cardiovascular interactions. Her work bridges developmental biology with clinical cardiology through innovative use of zebrafish as a model for human structural heart defects.

Scientific Awards:

• Promotion of Women Scientists Award: Excellence Programme of DZHK (2021)
• Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (2012)
• Helmholtz Young Investigator Program (2010)
• BRI Research Excellence Award (2009)
• HFSP Long-Term Fellowship (2008-2011)

Prof. Panáková actively mentors through the DZHK Mentoring Program and previously served as Confidential Advisor for Ph.D. and Postdoc bodies at MDC Berlin. Her research is generously funded by Kinderherzen wollen leben e.V., supporting her mission to translate basic science discoveries into improved clinical management for CHD patients. She collaborates extensively with clinical genetics departments and leads research at the intersection of developmental signaling and cardiac pathophysiology.

Her laboratory utilizes zebrafish as a personalized medicine platform to model congenital heart defects, investigating cellular responses to mechanical/electrical cues and Wnt pathway perturbations. Current projects focus on tissue regeneration mechanisms and developing therapies to mitigate multi-organ maladaptation in CHD patients.