The focus of our group is to study the role of red blood cell toxins as modifiers of disease. Cell-free hemoglobin, heme, and iron – the three main red blood cell toxins – can occur in many different disease conditions. Accelerated by these RBC toxins are the rare genetic hemolytic anemias (e.g., sickle cell anemia, thalassemias), blood transfusion, device-induced hemolysis, atherosclerosis, sepsis, and intracranial hemorrhage. We are a research group from the Division of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital Zurich with the aim of translating emerging basic science discoveries to applied clinical therapies that improve medical outcomes. Over the last decade, our group has established a translational research program to define the pathophysiological framework of hemolysis designed to foster the early development of therapeutics targeting the toxic effects of hemoglobin, heme, and iron.