
LEBAO
About us

The Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO) were founded by Professor Axel Haverich at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) in 1996 finaced through the prestigious Leibniz prize awarded by the DFG.
The LEBAO is one of the central pillars of REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine and is closely linked to the Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery at the MHH. The resulting synergies between application-driven basic research and clinical practice are supported by the co-directorship of a clinical director, Professor Axel Haverich, and a research director, Professor Ulrich Martin.
Here at LEBAO, we study various aspects of regenerative medicine and organ transplantation. The close link between basic research and clinical practice enables targeted development work and corresponding innovative therapy concepts to be quickly implemented in clinical practice. Under the direction of Prof. Ulrich Martin we are currently working on a variety of different research projects in several working groups. The great majority of the projects are in the area of development of novel therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Projects in all areas of research aim at the development of new therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. We collaborate closely with other Groups within the MHH and REBIRTH, as well as with the University of Hannover, corlife oHG and numerous other national and international scientific institutions and industry partners.
Research groups
There are currently six research groups at the LEBAO. These use a variety of different technologies, e.g. reprogramming of somatic cells for the production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), so-called "gene editing" for the targeted genetic modification of cells, scalable bioreactor systems for stem cell expansion and differentiation, or tissue engineering for production of cardiovascular tissue and organ replacements. Long-term goals of our research include the elucidation of disease mechanisms, the development of new drugs and novel cell- and gene-based therapies for regeneration and the repair of damaged organs, especially in the cardiovascular field.