Stimulating organ regeneration

How exactly are processes within cells genetically controlled, and how can we intervene to guide these processes? Researchers are, through their work at cellular and molecular level, seeking answers to these questions. Within the REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence, regenerative therapies are being developed in order to help people with heart, lung, blood or liver conditions. Our scientists generate cells and observe how they function – under the microscope and using state-of-the-art techniques. Fundamental biological aspects are combined with technical innovation, with a view to translating the outcomes into clinical practice (as in transplantation surgery, for example). The future vision is to move away from transplanting entire organs to transplanting only parts of them – i.e. tissue or individual cells. The REBIRTH Cluster of Excellence combines excellent training with groundbreaking research. Here, medical expertise is augmented by engineering ingenuity and input from the fields of chemistry, biophotonics and nanotechnology.