The transplantation of donor organs must be safe, effective and fast. To ensure this at all times, the organ donor's blood and tissue are extensively tested before the organs are allocated and transplanted - around the clock. With their 24-hour diagnostic service, Institutes at the MHH help to ensure that immunologically suitable organs are procured and that dangerous infections and organ damage in donor organs are detected in good time. On February 13, 2020, the MHH was honored as the first Excellence Partner of the German Organ Transplantation Foundation (DSO), which coordinates organ donation in Germany.

Reference center for renal pathology

Five MHH Institutes carry out tissue typing, infection diagnostics and pathological examinations of donor blood and donor organs in their laboratories seven days a week, 24 hours a day. "There are only a few partners in Germany that cover the entire spectrum. For us, the MHH is the reference center for pathological examinations of donor kidneys, among other things, due to its existing expertise," said Dr. Axel Rahmel, Medical Director of the DSO at the award ceremony in Hanover.

Prof. Dr. Rainer Blasczyk, Director of the Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Engineering, accepted the certificate as representative of the diagnostic Institutes. The immunological profile of the donor is created in his Institute. Compatibility tests are also carried out between donor and recipient. The Institutes of Pathology, Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Virology are also involved in the diagnostics.

Blasczyk thanked all MHH employees who work around the clock for organ donation.

Further information on the German Organ Transplant Foundation can be found here.