Baktybek Kojonazarov is appointed Head of the Small Animals Imaging Platform at the Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany.
Baktybek Kojonazarov was born in Frunze, Kyrgyz Republic. He graduated from the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy with a specialization in internal medicine and cardiology. For several years, he worked with patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension and heart disease at the National Center of Cardiology and Internal Medicine. Simultaneously, he studied the genetic and molecular mechanisms of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
In 2001–2002, he joined the laboratory of Professor Robert Naeije and the Department of Cardiology led by Professor Philippe van de Borne at Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussels, where he investigated the role of the autonomic nervous system in patients with heart failure. He successfully defended his PhD in medical science in 2005.
In 2009, as an expert in echocardiography, he was invited to join the Laboratory of Pulmonary Pharmacotherapy at Justus Liebig University (JLU) in Giessen, Germany. With expertise in imaging, cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, and pathophysiology, he established several imaging techniques at the University of Giessen. These include in vivo and ex vivo methods for evaluating the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, including functional assessments and molecular imaging in rodent models. In 2020, he was appointed Head of the Small Animal Imaging Platform at the Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Giessen.
In 2023, Dr Kojonazarov was honored with an Honorary Professor at the Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, recognizing his continued contribution to medical education and research. He also serves as a Principal Investigator and faculty member at the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), a faculty member at the Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), and an adjunct faculty member at the Excellence Cluster Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI). In addition, he leads the central project (CP02) within the Collaborative Research Center (CRC1213) titled "Pulmonary Hypertension and Cor Pulmonale."
As of April 15, 2025, Dr. Kojonazarov has published 77 research articles in high-impact scientific journals, including Nature Medicine, Nature Cardiovascular Research, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, Nature Metabolism, Circulation, Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, European Respiratory Journal, American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, and Cardiovascular Research.
Dr. Kojonazarov aims to develop and establish novel in vivo imaging biomarkers in animal models of the pulmonary (pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, lung cancer) and cardiovascular diseases (pulmonary hypertension, heart failure).
Methods
State-of-the-art, non-invasive small-animal imaging systems now offer both qualitative and quantitative anatomical and functional information, enabling longitudinal studies to monitor disease progression over time. We firmly believe that the use of non-invasive imaging techniques contributes significantly to the reduction of animal use in research, in line with the 3R principles—Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement.
In our department, we employ state-of-the-art imaging techniques and physiological assessment modalities for in vivo small-animal studies. These are complemented by advanced tools and devices such as non-invasive whole-body plethysmography, blood pressure monitoring, and a small-animal treadmill for evaluating exercise capacity and VO₂max. These technologies, combined with our unique approaches, allow us to detect pathological processes down to the microscopic level.
Overview of Imaging techniques and methods
Small Animal Imaging Platform Equipment:
High-resolution ex vivo Imaging High-resolution in vivo Imaging
From past several years, Dr Kojonazarov is interested in adaptive and maladaptive pulmonary vascular and heart remodeling, as well as cardio-pulmonary interaction in pulmonary hypertension and various lung diseases. To investigate it, Dr Kojonazarov established several imaging methods and approaches for detailed characterization of the pulmonary and cardiac function in rodents. Therefore, the small animal imaging platform not only provides service for other departments within ILH, but also focuses on the following major objectives:
Dr. Baktybek Kojonazarov
Small Animal Imaging Platform
Institute for lung health (ILH)
Justus Liebig University Giessen
Aulweg 130
35392 Gießen
Tel: +49 (0) 641 99 46802
Fax: +49 (0) 641 99 46829
Email:
baktybek.kojonazarov@innere.med.uni-giessen.de
