idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
Top in Europe: 365 organs and 229 stem cell transplants were performed at the MHH in 2025.
Timo donated part of his liver to his three-year-old son in January 2026. "Helping my child was a matter of course," says the father. "Knowing that I can give him a real future with my donation is the most important thing." Living liver donation uses the split-liver method developed at Hannover Medical School (MHH), which makes use of the liver's ability to divide and regenerate. "Without the willingness of relatives to donate a living liver, many children with severe liver disease would not have an adequate treatment option today," explains Prof. Dr. Ulrich Baumann, Head of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the MHH Clinical Department of Paediatric Kidney, Liver and Metabolic Diseases and Neuropediatrics. In 2025, five relatives donated part of their liver.
"Hundreds of lives saved or significantly improved"
A total of 365 solid organs were transplanted at the MHH last year: 24 hearts, 110 lungs, 80 livers, 148 kidneys and three pancreases. This is again almost ten percent more than in the previous year. In 2024, there were 333 transplants: 24 hearts, 104 lungs, 76 livers, 125 kidneys and four pancreases. According to the German Organ Transplant Foundation, the number of organs donated after death nationwide rose from 2,854 in 2024 to 3,020 donor organs in 2025. "Behind these figures are hundreds of saved or significantly improved lives," says Prof. Dr. Moritz Schmelzle, Head of the Interdisciplinary Transplant Centre at the MHH and Director of the Clinical Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery at the MHH. "We owe this development to the dedicated interdisciplinary and multi-professional team at the MHH - and above all to the donors and their families who have decided to donate organs."
3000th lung and 4000th liver transplanted
In 2025, the 3,000th lung and the 4,000th liver were transplanted in the history of MHH. In total, 16,528 solid organs have been transplanted at the MHH since 1968. In addition to the increase in lung, liver and kidney transplants, the Transplant Centre also recorded an increase in living liver and kidney donations last year. 40 of the 148 transplanted kidneys and five of the 80 transplanted livers came from a living donation - in the previous year there were 34 living kidney and eight living liver donations. The number of transplants in children and adolescents remained stable: 52 of the total of 365 organs went to children and adolescents, including two hearts, twelve lungs, 21 livers and 17 kidneys. In the previous year, 53 of the 333 transplanted organs went to children.
European leader in lung transplants
Twelve of the 110 lungs transplanted last year were given to children and adolescents. "With this remarkable achievement, especially in the context of generally strained personnel resources, the MHH leads the list of the largest lung transplant centers for children and adults in Germany and in the Eurotransplant network," says Prof. Dr. Arjang Ruhparwar, Director of the MHH Clinical Department for Cardiothoracic, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery. Transplantation and Vascular Surgery. The Eurotransplant Association mediates organs between donor hospitals and transplant centers in the eight European countries Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia.
More stem cell transplants and CAR T-cell treatments
In 2025, 120 adults received an allogeneic stem cell transplant through a third-party donation, 24 received an autologous transplant with their own stem cells. In addition, 45 treatments were carried out with so-called CAR-T cells - cellular therapy approaches in which immune cells from the patient's own body are modified in a disease-specific manner. In 2024, there were 104 allogeneic and 24 autologous transplants as well as 31 CAR T-cell treatments.
Children and adolescents were also treated: 36 received a transplant with foreign stem cells, two with their own stem cells and two received CAR T-cell therapy. In the previous year, there were 29 allogeneic and two autologous transplants as well as two CAR T-cell treatments.
Stem cell transplants are primarily used to treat blood and lymphatic cancers, but are also used for certain genetic blood disorders, immunodeficiencies, autoimmune diseases and in specialized cell therapy procedures.
Successful living liver donation: Pediatric nurse Carola Friedrich, PD Dr. Imeke Goldschmidt, PD Dr. ...
Copyright: Karin Kaiser/MHH.
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten
Medizin
überregional
Buntes aus der Wissenschaft
Englisch
Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.
Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).
Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.
Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).
Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).
