Career

• 2019: Senior Scientist, Principal Investigator

• 2013: Junior Professor

• 2004: Ph.D. in Life Science – European Doctorate

• 1996: M.Sc. – Master, Biophysics

• 1995: B.Sc. – University, Physics

• 1990: Abitur / Baccalaureate – Mathematics and Physics

Current Research Focus

• Since 2019: Project topic “Application of biophysical stimuli to promote myofibrillar maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes”, project director: Iorga B., Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School.

• Since 2017: supervisor of a Dr.rer.nat.-candidate student in MHH
  Topic: “Investigations on the contractile function of myofibrils isolated from myocardium and cardiomyocytes in cell culture in non-pathologic and pathologic conditions”, student’s name: Anja Brunkhorst

• 2014-2017: Participant in the project “Functional characterization of myofibrils from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells of FHC-patients”, Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School (funding: DFG)

• 2013-2014: Participant in the project “Funktionelle Auswirkungen von FHC-assoziierten Mutationen in der Myosin-Kopfdomäne. Biomechanische Untersuchungen an einzelnen Muskelfasern aus M. soleus-Biopsien von FHC-Patienten”, Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School (funding: DFG)

• 2011: Participant in the project “Structure, Function and Regulation of the Myofibrillar Z-disc Interactome“, Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne (funding: DFG)

• 2007-2009: Project topic “Funktionelle und biochemische Untersuchungen an isolierten Kardiomyofibrillen aus dem rechtsventrikulären Myokard von Patienten mit Fallot´scher Tetralogie”, project director: Iorga B., Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne (funding: Köln-Fortune)

• 2008: Project topic “Characterization of the consequences of cardiomyopathy-related mutations in troponin on the Ca²⁺-regulated cross-bridge kinetics – Enhanced Video Acquisition method”, project director: Iorga B., Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne (funding: Maria-Pesch Stiftung)

• 2007: Project topic “Characterization of the consequences of cardiomyopathy-related mutations in troponin on the Ca²⁺-regulated cross-bridge kinetics studies by sinusoidal force analysis on cardiac myofibrils (sinusoidal analysis method)”, project director: Iorga B., Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne (funding: Imhoff-Stiftung)

• 2005-2011: Participant in the project “Analyse sarkomerischer Dysfunktionen bei hypertropher und dilatativer Kardiomyopathie verursacht durch Mutationen des Troponin-Komplexes“, Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne (funding: DFG)

Main Research Area

• Since 2019: Senior scientist (E13 position), Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School;
  Research and Development topics:
  (1) Application of biophysical stimuli to promote myofibrillar maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes;
  (2) Understanding the effects of missense mutations in sarcomeric proteins on the subcellular and cellular contractile function in human cardiac samples and pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte models.

• 2013-2019: Juniorprofessor (W1 position) for “Muscle Physiology and Pathophysiology”, Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School;
  Research topics: Force-related kinetic studies with subcellular myofibrils using human myocardial samples and human embryonic/induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

• 2011-2013: Junior scientist (Post-Doctoral position), Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School;
  Research topics and Developments:
  (1) Establishment of the Myofibrils Micromechanical Setup;
  (2) Force-related kinetic studies with subcellular myofibrils in physiological and pathophysiological conditions using human and animal skeletal and cardiac muscle samples.

• 2005-2011: Junior scientist (Post-Doctoral position), Institute of Vegetative Physiology, University of Cologne;
  Research topics and Developments:
  (1) Force-related kinetic studies with subcellular myofibrils in physiological and pathophysiological conditions using different animal models (e.g., mouse, guinea-pig, rabbit, zebra-fish);
  (2) Sarcomeric proteins and functional phenotype in pediatric patients with conotruncal congenital heart defects;
  (3) Establishment of the small-perturbational sinusoidal method applied to Ca²⁺-activated skeletal myofibrils.

• 2005: Post-Doctoral collaborative work, Department of Biosciences, University of Kent at Canterbury;
  Research topic: Studies of temperature-dependent kinetic behavior of the fast and slow molecular motors in solutions.

• 2004-2005: University junior assistant, Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest.

• 2001-2004: European Doctorate Program (October 2004, Ph.D.) – EU Research Training Network FP5 (HPRN-CT-2000-00091), University of Montpellier-II & INSERM, and Department of Biosciences, University of Kent at Canterbury;
  Research topic: Mechano-chemical coupling in skeletal myofibrils.

• 1998-2001: University junior assistant, Department of Physics and Applied Mathematics, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest;
  Research topics:
  (1) Electrochemical solution structures,
  (2) Kinetics of protein folding-unfolding processes.

• 1999-2000: University teaching assistant in collaboration with Department of Mathematics and Physics of the University of the Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest.

• 1997-1998: Research junior assistant, Institute of Physical-Chemistry of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest;
  Research topic: Studies of kinetic processes in flammable gases.

• 1996-1997: Military service, second-lieutenant in the Air Forces (present status: inactive).

• 1995-1996: Master studies in Biophysics (1996, M.Sc.), Research Center of Molecular Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest;
  Research topic: Fluorescence quenching study of chlorophyll-a by beta-carotene in benzene.

• 1990-1995: University studies in Physics (1995, B.Sc.), Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest;
  Research topic: Spectrophotometrical study of chlorophyll-a species in methanol aqueous Solutions.

Expertise

• Establishments of the myofibrillar phenotyping of cardiomyocytes differentiated from human-derived pluripotent stem cells (e.g., hESC-/hiPSC-CMs) and of the myotomal and ventricular muscles (e.g., zebrafish model) with potential applications in studies of development, regeneration and inherited diseases.

• Isolation protocols of myofibrils from cardiac, skeletal, myotomal and engineered muscle tissues (human or animal model sources) and from human/murine pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.

• Experimental setup establishment to investigate steady-state and kinetic force-related parameters of myofibrils using atomic force video-microscopy and fast solutions flow switch technique; sinusoidal analysis of isometrically contracting myofibrils.

• Biochemical kinetic analysis of fast and slow myosin motors in their sarcomeric environment or in solutions and using Rapid-Flow-Quench (chemical quenching Pi-burst and ATP-chase methods), Stopped-Flow (intrinsic-/extrinsic-fluorescence); Time-Resolved Pulsed Spectrofluorimetry for vegetal pigments (chlorophylls) life-time measurements.

Teaching

• Lecturers (Vorlesungen) for Biomedicine Master students: “Skeletal and Smooth muscles / Myosin” (Hannover Biomedical Research School)

• LabCourse (Praktikum) for Biomedicine Master students: “Functional Investigations of Myofibrils” (Hannover Biomedical Research School)

• Practical classes (Praktikum) for undergraduate students at Human Medicine and Stomatology: Physical and Physiological basis of the ECG and Optics (Hannover Medical School)

• Practical classes (Praktikum) for undergraduate students at Human Medicine: Cardiac Mechanics (Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne)

• Theoretical and practical classes of “General Physics” for undergraduate students: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Basics of Electronics, Quantum Physics (Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest)

• Theoretical and practical classes for undergraduate students: Basics of Biophysics and Agro-meteorology (University of the Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest)

Publications / Original Research

• Patient-specific hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes indicate allelic and contractile imbalance as pathogenic factor in early-stage Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Natalie Weber, Judith Montag, Kathrin Kowalsk, Bogdan Iorga, Jeanne de la Roche, Tim Holler, Daniel Wojciechowski, Meike Wendland, Ante Radocaj, Anne-Kathrin Mayer, Anja Brunkhorst, Felix Osten, Valentin Burkart, Birgit Piep, Alea Bodenschatz, Pia Gibron, Kristin Schwanke, Annika Franke, Stefan Thiemann, Anastasia Koroleva, Angelika Pfanne, Maike Konsanke, Jan Fiedler, Jan Hegermann, Christoph Wredej, Christian Mühlfeld, Boris Chichkov, Martin Fischer, Thomas Thum, Antonio Francino, Ulrich Martin, Joachim Meißner, Robert Zweigerdt, Theresia Kraft, Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (JMCC) Volume 198, January 2025, Pages 112-125, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2024.11.007; PubMed
   
• Oscillatory work and the step that generates force in single myofibrils from rabbit psoas, M. Kawai and B. Iorga, Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 2024 Apr 1, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-024-02935, Pubmed
• Myosin expression and contractile function are altered by replating stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes, Osten, F., Weber, N., Wendland, M., Holler, T., Piep, B., Kröhn, S., Teske, J., Bodenschatz, A.K., Devadas, S.B., Menge, K.S., Chatterjee, S., Schwanke, K., Kosanke, M., Montag, J., Thum, T., Zweigerdt, R., Kraft, T., Iorga, B., and Meissner, J.D. (2023), J Gen Physiol (2023) 155 (11): e202313377, https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202313377, Online ahead of print, PubMed
   
• Why make a strong muscle weaker? Iorga B., Kraft T., J Gen Physiol, . 2021 Jul 5;153(7):e202112928.doi: 10.1085/jgp.202112928. Epub 2021 Jun 9. PubMed
   
• M. Kawai, R. Stehle, G. Pfitzer and B. Iorga, Phosphate has dual roles in cross-bridge kinetics in rabbit psoas single myofibrils, J. Gen. Physiol. 2021 Vol. 153 No. 3, DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012755, PubMed
   
• Peter Franz, Vincent Gassl , Andrea Topf , Luca Eckelmann, Bogdan Iorga, Georgios Tsiavaliaris "A thermophoresis–based biosensor for real–time detection of inorganic phosphate during enzymatic reactions", Biosensors and Bioelectronics 169 (2020) 112616, doi:10.1016/j.bios.2020.112616
   
• Iorga B., Schwanke K., Weber N., Wendland M., Greten S., Piep B., dos Remeidos C.G., Martin U., Zweigerdt R., Kraft T., Brenner B. (2018) “Differences in Contractile Function of Myofibrils within Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes vs. Adult Ventricular Myofibrils Are Related to Distinct Sarcomeric Protein Isoforms“, Frontiers in Physiology, 8:1111 DOI:10.3389/fphys.2017.01111 PubMed 

• Weber N., Greten S., Wendland M., Schwanke K., Iorga B., Fischer M., Geers-Knörr C., Hegermann J., Wrede C., Fiedler J., Kempf H., Franke A., Piep B., Pfanne A., Thum T., Martin U., Brenner B., Zweigerdt R., Kraft T. (2016) “Stiff matrix induces switch to pure β-cardiac myosin heavy chain expression in human ESC-derived cardiomyocytes”, Basic Research in Cardiology, 111:68 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-016-0587-9 PubMed 

• Elhamine F., Iorga B., Krüger M., Hunger M., Eckhardt J., Sreeram N., Bennink G., Brockmeier K., Stehle R., Pfitzer G. (2016) “The postnatal development of right ventricular myofibrillar biomechanics in relation to the sarcomeric protein phenotype in pediatric patients with conotruncal heart defects”, Journal of the American Heart Association, 5:e003699 DOI:10.1161/JAHA.116.003699 PubMed 

• Iorga B., Wang L., Stehle R., Pfitzer G., Kawai M. (2012) “ATP binding and cross-bridge detachment steps during full Ca²⁺ activation: comparison of myofibril and muscle fibre mechanics by sinusoidal analysis“, J Physiol.-London, 590: 3361-73 PubMed

• Lopez-Davila A.J., Elhamine F., Ruess D.F., Papadopoulos S., Iorga B., Kulozik F.P., Zittrich S., Solzin J., Pfitzer G., Stehle R. (2012) “Kinetic Mechanism of Ca²⁺-controlled changes of skeletal troponin I in psoas myofibrils”, Biophys. J, 103: 1254-64 PubMed

• Iorga B., Neacsu C.D., Neiss W.F., Wagener R., Paulsson M., Stehle R., Pfitzer G. (2011) “Micromechanical function of myofibrils isolated from skeletal and cardiac muscles of the zebrafish”, The Journal of General Physiology (ISSN: 0022-1295), Vol.137(3):255-270 PubMed

• Iorga B., Blaudeck N., Solzin J., Neulen A., Stehle I., Lopez-Davila A. J., Pfitzer G., Stehle R. (2008) “Lys184 deletion in troponin I impairs relaxation kinetics and induces hypercontractility in murine cardiac myofibrils”, Cardiovacular Research (ISSN: 0008-6363), Vol. 77:676-686 PubMed

• Roels B., Reggiani C., Reboul C., LionneC., Iorga B., Obert P., Tanguy S., Gibault A., Jougla A., Travers F., Millet G., Candau R. (2008) “Paradoxial effects of endurance training and chronic hypoxia on soleus myofibrillar ATPase activity”, American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (ISSN: 0363-6119), Vol. 294(6):R1911-1918 PubMed

• Solzin J., Iorga B., Sierakowski E., Gomez-Alcazar D. P., Ruess D. F., Kubacki T., Zittrich S., Blaudeck N., Pfitzer G., Stehle R. (2007) “Kinetic mechanism of the Ca²⁺-dependent switch-on and -off of cardiac troponin in myofibrils”, Biophysical Journal (ISSN: 0006-3495), Vol. 93(11):3917-3931 PubMed

• Iorga B., Adamek N., Geeves M. A. (2007) “The slow skeletal muscle isoform of myosin shows kinetic features common to smooth and non-muscle myosins”, Journal of Biological Chemistry (ISSN: 0021-9258), Vol. 282(6):3559-3570 PubMed

• Stehle R., Solzin J., Iorga B., Gomez D., Blaudeck N., Pfitzer G. (2006) “Mechanical properties of sarcomeres during cardiac myofibrillar relaxation: stretch-induced cross-bridge detachment contributes to early diastolic filling“, J. Muscle Res. Cell Motil. (ISSN: 0142-4319), Vol. 27:423-434 PubMed

• Iorga B., Candau R., Travers F., Barman T., Lionne C. (2004) “Does phosphate release limit the ATPase of relaxed soleus myofibrils? Evidence that (A)M×ADP×Pi states predominate on the cross-bridge cycle”, J. Muscle Res. Cell Motil. (ISSN: 0142-4319), Vol. 25 (4-5):367-378 PubMed

• Candau R., Iorga B., Travers F., Barman T., Lionne C. (2003) “At physiological temperatures the ATPase rates of shortening soleus and psoas myofibrils are similar”, Biophysical Journal (ISSN: 0006-3495), Vol. 85:3132-3141 PubMed

• Lionne C., Iorga B., Candau R., Piroddi N., Webb M. R., Belus A., Travers F., Barman T. (2002) "Evidence that phosphate release is the rate limiting step on the ATPase of psoas myofibrils prevented from shortening by chemical cross-linking", Biochemistry (ISSN: 0006-2960), Vol. 41:13297-13308 PubMed

• Semenescu G., Cioaca C., Iorga B. and Gughea G., (2002) "Phenonenological considerations rely on the double mixed electric layer model at the electrode-electrolyte interface", Acta Chimica Slovenica (ISSN: 1318-0207), 49:743-754 Acta Chimica

• Gazdaru D. M. and Iorga B., (2002) “Spectrophotometric analysis of the mixtures of photosynthetic pigments", Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials (ISSN: 1454-4164), vol.4, no.1:121-129 Journal of Optoelectronics

• Semenescu G., Cioaca C., Iorga B. and Gughea G., (2002) "Mediator role of some organic substances in the charge transfer on metal-electrolyte interface", Acta Chimica Slovenica (ISSN: 1318-0207), 49:121-138 Acta Chimica

• Gazdaru D. M. and Iorga B., (2001) "Characterization of the quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence by b-carotene using the non-linear analysis", Photosynthetica (ISSN: 0300-3604), 39, (4): 607-609 Photosynthetica

• Semenescu G., Cioaca C. and Iorga B., (2000) "A new phenomenological model describing conduction in electrolyte solutions", Acta Chimica Slovenica (ISSN: 1318-0207), 47:133-141 Acta Chimica

• Gazdaru D. M., Iorga B. and Balan P. F., (1998) "Quenching of the chlorophyll-a fluorescence by b-carotene", Photosynthesis: Mechanism and effects. Vol. I:483-486. G. Garab, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, (Nedherland) Springer

Reviews and Editorials

• Stehle R., Iorga B. (2010) “Kinetics of cardiac sarcomeric processes and rate-limiting steps in contraction and relaxation“, J Mol Cell Cardiol (ISSN: 0022-2828), Vol.48(5):843-850 PubMed

• Stehle R., Solzin J., Iorga B., Poggesi C. (2009) “Insights into the kinetics of Ca²⁺-regulated contraction and relaxation from myofibril studies”, Pfluger Archives – European Journal of Physiology (ISSN: 0031-6768), Vol.458(2):337-57 PubMed

• Stehle R., Iorga B., Pfitzer G. (2007) “Calcium regulation of troponin and its role in the dynamics of contraction and relaxation”, American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (ISSN: 0363-6119), Vol. 292(3):R1125-R1128 PubMed

• Lionne C., Iorga B., Candau R., Travers F. (2003) “Why choose myofibrils to study muscle myosin ATPase?”, J. Muscle Res. Cell Motil. (ISSN: 0142-4319), Vol. 24 (2-3):139-148 PubMed

Text-Books and Lab-Books

• Iorga G., V. Iorga B. and Paun V. (2005) “Thermodynamics and Molecular Physics – Experimental workbook”, University Press, Bucharest, ISBN:973-737-116-X (chapters contribution)  

• Danciulescu C., Iorga B. and Gughea G. (2000) “Physics. Electromagnetism”, University Press, Bucharest, ISBN:973-575-470-3 (chapter contribution)

• Cioaca C. and Iorga B. (2000) “Fundamentals of electromagnetism and optics”, University Press, Bucharest, ISBN:973-575-428-2 (textbook)

• Plosceanu C., Iorga B. and Gughea G. (1999) “Optics”, University Press, Bucharest, ISBN:973-575-305-7 (chapters contribution)