The Endocrinology Laboratory offers comprehensive expertise in endocrinological research and physiology. In addition to hormone analysis for assessing reproductive and stress status, we also provide the analysis of other important physiological parameters, such as markers of immune responses and bone health. Our extensive experience in developing and applying methods for measuring markers from blood, saliva, urine, and feces supports a wide range of research projects in biomedical as well as comparative field-based research.
Expertise
With over 25 years of experience in measuring steroid hormones using enzyme immunoassay methods, our laboratory has generated data used in more than 200 scientific publications.
- Immunological analysis: Validated methods for measuring sex hormones (estrogens, progestogens, androgens), stress hormones (glucocorticoids), and many other physiological markers in blood and saliva, as well as their metabolites in urine and feces for various primate species and other mammals.
- Reproductive status: Validated assays for monitoring female reproductive status.
- Stress physiology: Validated assays for assessing stress physiology.
- Energetic Status: Quantitative determination of C-peptide, glucocorticoids, and total T3 (thyroid hormone).
- Immune system responses: Quantitative determination of neopterin, suPAR, and immunoglobulin A.
- Training: Training of students and postdoctoral researchers in non-invasive hormone analysis methods from various European and non-European countries. Additionally, we offer laboratory internships as part of the Master’s and PhD programs at the University of Göttingen.
- Research: Supporting numerous scientific projects by providing physiological data and contributing to scientific publications with results from our laboratory.
- Reproductive management: Over 25 years of experience in providing non-invasive hormonal reproductive diagnostics for Asian and African elephants across Europe.
Latest Publications
- Pethig L; Behringer V; Kappeler P.M; Heistermann M. (2024)
Establishment and validation of fecal secretory immunoglobulin A measurement for intestinal mucosal health assessment in wild lemurs.
Am. J. Primatol. 86(12): e23694 - DOI - - Petersdorf M; Weyer, AH; Heistermann M; Gubson JL; Govaerts A, Siame S; Mustill RL; Hillegas ME; Winters S; Dubuc C; Higham JP. (2024)
Multimodal sexual signals are not precise indicators of fertility in female Kinda baboons.
Horm. Behav.165: 105632 - DOI - - Fürtbauer I; Shergold C; Christensen C; Bracken A.M; Heistermann M; Papadopoulou M; O'Riain M.J; King A.J. (2024)
Linking energy availability, movement and sociality in a wild primate (Papio ursinus).
Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 379(1916): 20220466 - DOI - - Jaffe JE; Mätz-Rensing K; Ulrich M; Gräßle T; Behringer V; Wittig RW; Leendertz FH. (2024)
Chronic kidney disease and kidney stone in a wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) in Côte D'Ivoire.
J. Med. Primatol. 53(5): e12739 - DOI - - Behringer V; Sonnweber R; Hohmann G; Stevens JMG; Verspeek J; Kivell TL. (2024)
A non‐invasive measure of bone growth in mammals: Validating urinary CTX‐I as a bone resorption marker through long‐bone growth velocity in bonobos.
Ecol. Evol. 14(9): e70326 - DOI -