topic Hightech Strategy

Regenerative Medicine

The survival of many patients with severe diseases has become possible due to great progress in medical technology in organ transplantations as well as the specific replacement of cell, tissue and organ functions. The BMBF is funding two large research priorities on regenerative medicine so that further progress in transplantation medicine can be achieved over the coming years.

The survival of many patients with severe diseases has become possible due to great progress in medical technology in organ transplantations as well as the specific replacement of cell, tissue and organ functions. A considerable bottleneck is the provision of suitable donor organs or established alternative therapies. Furthermore, growing demand in the area of regenerative medicine is foreseeable. This situation is aggravated by the rejection of transplanted organs or tissues, which cannot sufficiently be controlled today and makes a second transplant necessary for some patients. As a consequence, several thousand patients die each year in Germany who would have a very good chance of survival with suitable treatment.

Intensive work is therefore conducted on the further and new development of technical replacements. However, they are either limited to very specific areas of application or can, in many cases, considerably impair the quality of life of patients. In view of the extent of current demand, research approaches in major areas which aim at replacing lost organ functions by biological means are therefore currently far more promising. The long-term objective of this research area is to understand the processes of cell, tissue or organ functions and regeneration and to develop therapeutic processes. In order to do so, the potential and the possible risks of using stem cells or precursor cells in regenerative medicine must, first of all, be clarified. The newly developed therapies are to ensure better and more comprehensive patient care in the area of biological replacements of organ functions, in particular in application areas where transplantation is currently not possible.
The BMBF is funding two priorities in regenerative medicine:

Within the "Biological Replacement of Organ Functions" priority, research projects are conducted which are dealing with the biology and possible clinical applications of stem cells and other cell types. The objective is to determine the potential of innovative approaches for the production of specialized cells and tissues and to use them for the regeneration of damaged organs. Regenerative therapies could thereby eliminate the bottleneck in transplantation medicine and reduce the defence reaction of the immune system. If such regenerative therapies are successful, the present shortage of transplantation organs could be removed and the often complicated and expensive and sometimes lifelong treatment of some patients with equipment and drugs would become superfluous. Very promising projects are currently focusing on healing diseases like diabetes, cardiac infarction and Morbus Parkinson by means of specific regeneration processes.
The BMBF has therefore been funding a total of 32 projects in this funding priority with about €10 million since 2001.

Another important aspect of the biological replacement of organs and organ functions is the "Tissue Engineering" funding priority, which was established in 2000. Here, primarily projects on the development of novel, application-oriented and interdisciplinary approaches in the areas of biotechnology and materials sciences are supported with the objective of industrial exploitation. An internationally competitive industry is thereby to be established on the basis of existing structures in Germany in the long term. The available government funds are therefore used primarily for supporting cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and outstanding physicians as well as scientists. The projects so far are to make available therapies and materials for the regeneration or replacement of skin, cartilage, bones, nerves, kidneys, liver, blood and vessels.

The BMBF provides about €21 million towards the 49 projects which have so far been approved within the framework of the "Tissue Engineering" priority with a total volume of €35 million.