Ten years of tissue medicine: Symposium reveals visions of the future in Rostock

Ten years of tissue medicine: Symposium reveals visions of the future in Rostock

Anniversary event with a vision: On June 26, 2025, the tenth anniversary of the Society for Transplantation Medicine Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (GTM-V gGmbH) will be celebrated at the Hotel Radisson Blu in Rostock. Under the direction of Dr. Frank Peter Nitschke, the managing physician of the GTM-V, participants can expect an exciting symposium that discusses the successes of the last decade and the outlook for the future of tissue medicine.

The occasion could not be more relevant: Since its founding on February 15, 2015 in Rostock, the GTM-V has developed into one of the largest tissue collection facilities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. An impressive 1,100+ tissue donations were recorded last year – a notable increase from the 50 in its inaugural year. Forecasts for 2025 even indicate around 1,400 tissue donations, which shows that the willingness to donate organs is constantly growing.

Important milestones and challenges

Since then, the GTM-V has collected over 16,000 corneas, more than 25,000 musculoskeletal and over 550 cardiovascular tissue specimens. There are currently over 6,800 reports from potential donors for 2025. Despite these positive developments, challenges remain. Many patients have to wait a long time for a tissue transplant, as there are currently around 10,000 people on waiting lists. However, the success rate of over 95 percent for requests for suitable transplants shows that there is a good knack for providing the right care.

The planned expansions of the GTM-V, including the integration of tissue donation such as placental tissue after cesarean section, could significantly improve the current situation. At the symposium, reports and clinical experiences will be presented and the quality standards in cornea banking will be discussed.

Advances in corneal transplantation

An exciting topic discussed there is the modern DMEK technique, a lamellar transplant method that promises rapid restoration of vision. Thanks to DMEK, the complicated suturing of the donor cornea is no longer necessary, which avoids additional trauma for the patient. Loud Tissue network Pre-prepared human corneal transplants for DMEK are only provided by a single institution in Germany: the German Society for Tissue Transplantation.

The advantages of this technique are obvious: Patients suffering from diseases such as Fuchs' endothelial cell dystrophy or bullous keratopathy benefit from significantly better healing and a faster return to vision. With the DMEK method, the required transplants are provided from renowned tissue banks such as the Hanover tissue bank.

This makes it all the more important to continuously improve the offerings in tissue medicine. The GTM-V sees itself as having a responsibility to further advance the care of all patients and to move forward with a clear view of the future. “An exchange about our challenges, successes and the future of tissue medicine is essential,” says Dr. Nitschke. At the symposium on June 26, experts will come together to discuss these important issues and determine next steps.