Research

Research Experience

October 1988 –
October 1989		 Research Clerkship
Surgical Research Laboratory
Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation
Head: Christopher G.A. McGregor, Rochester, MN, USA
Funding: Mayo Foundation
 2003 – 2009 Principal Investigator of Clinical Research Group
“Lung Transplantation” of the German Research Foundation
2008 – 2012 Member of Transplantation Project Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany
April 2002 –
April 2010		 Head of Experimental Surgery
Division of Heart-, Thoracic-, Transplant and Vascular Surgery
Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
April 2003 –
April 2008		 Director Transplantation Research
Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO)
Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
April 2005 –
April 2011		 Chair “Working Group for the Treatment of Heart and Lung Failure” of the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery

Research Interest

Investigator – Tolerance Induction in Lung Transplantation
German Research Foundation (Clinical Research Group 123) 2004 – 2009

Investigator – Miniaturization of Ventricular Assist Devices
German Federal Ministry for Education and Research
Integrated Research and Treatment Center for Organ Transplantation

Principal Investigator – “4Everlung”: multicenter clinical trial on maintenance immunosuppression (4/2011 – 10/ 2014)
Sponsor: Novartis

Registry for the German Organ Care System Program
in Heart Transplantation (8/2011 – 10/2014)
Sponsor: Transmedics

Principal Investigator for Investigator Initiated Trials:

  • Daclizumab induction therapy in lung transplantation
    Sponsor: Roche
  • Everolimus in de novo immunosuppression after lung transplantation
    (single center)
    Sponsor: Novartis

Site Principal Investigator:

  • “HeartMate II” Left ventricular Assist Device Pilot Study
    Sponsor: Thoratec
  • Lung Allograft Rejection Gene Expression Observation Study (LARGO)
    Sponsor: XDx Expression Diagnostics
  • Heartware “HVAD” Left Ventricular Assist Device Pilot Study
    Sponsor: Heartware

Recent PI for

  • Momentum III (St. Jude HeartMate III),clinical trial
  • Expand (Transmedics Organ Care System Heart) clinical trial
  • PXUS 14-001 (Lung Biotechnology EVLP) clinical trial