
Science for Patients –
Biohybrid Implants
My dream was and remains to this day, to make an impact on finding novel solutions for improving treatments for patients and to extend our knowledge as a researcher.
To do so, I have tackled different medical topics.
Today, I am working in optimizing implants for patients and in understanding the basic biology of body´s own stem cells.
My current position as university professor started from a research unit professorship sponsored by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Find my complete CV here.
On the left you see me with Teruko Tamura´s Tree (donation by Dr. Patrik Schadzek). I am glad to welcome you!
Biohybrid Implants
- Graded Implants
- Body´s Own Stem Cells
- Immune Cells (Macrophages)
Our Research – a Brief Introduction
IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Diseases of the musculoskeletal system have enormous socio-economic relevance. This situation will become even more important in the future due to increasing life expectancy. Innovative treatment approaches are therefore necessary for optimal therapeutic success.
This includes optimized and novel implants like BIOHYBRID IMPLANTS. These implants combine technical components (e.g. alloys) and biological components (e.g. stem cells), to result in a new product with superior properties. GRADED IMPLANTS constitute one modality within biohybrid implants. They are made from different materials with different (graded) properties. In addition, the use of stem cells – we use body´s own stem cells, the so-called mesenchymal stem cells – further adds to improve the performance and longevity of implants.
Find more information here.
Current Address:
Clinic of Orthopedic Surgery / NIFE
Stadtfelddamm 34
30625 Hannover, Germany
The lab is part of NIFE, the Lower Saxony Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development: www.nife-hannover.de, a great building inaugurated in 2016 – and the LBB, the Laboratory for Biomechanics and Biomaterials, department of orthopaedic surgery, MHH: www.lbb2-mhh.de.
The Team
Our work is interdisciplinary.
My team brings in their expertise from different aspects within the life sciences.
In addition, we constantly have students who perform their bachelor´s or master´s theses in our lab.

Kirsten Elger
Medical-technical laboratory assistant
Kirsten is well versed in flow cytometry, cloning, and cell culture. Additionally, she takes care of our budget and is coordination assistant within the DFG-funded research unit RU 2180.

Nina Friese
M.Sc. Biomedicine, PhD candidate
Nina investigates the three core factors within RU 2180. Here, she has developed assays for the biological activity as well as established multiple reaction monitoring and hypoxic isolation and cultivation of cells.

Mattis Gierschner
M.Sc. Biochemistry, PhD candidate
Mattis is our expert for immune cells and focuses on human blood monocyte derived macrophages as well as the influence of different biomaterials and signaling kinases on the phenotype of these cells.

Anika Hamm
Biological-technical assistent
Anika has been a member of my group since my beginning at MHH. She is experienced in cell culture including isolation of stem cells under hypoxic conditions, molecular biology, and protein biochemistry like co-immunoprecipitation of proteins.

Yvonne Roger
PhD, diploma in biology
Yvonne is the most experienced scientist of my group. She established herself as an integral and indispensable researcher within RU 2180 and focuses on the cytocompatibility of different biomaterials as well as the differentiation of stem cells under different conditions.

Patrik Schadzek
Dr. rer. nat., M. Sc. in life science
Patrik compares functions of stem cells from patients with bone sarcomas and osteoarthritis. Since last year he is member of a project within the collaborative research center SIIRI which investigates cellular and molecular aspects of aseptic loosening of orthopedic implants.

The Voluntary Team Members –
Invaluable Background Support
Did you wonder about my logo?
Actually, my cockatiels have inspired my logo: the black circle as their eye, and a stylish feather tuft in the colour of their feathers.
The feather tuft reflects the different scientific topics that I addressed in my career up to the present day: kidney / proteinuria, cerebrospinal fluid / blood-brain barrier, heart / cardiac allograft vasculopathy, musculoskeletal system / stem cells.


Former Lab Members
Imke Bargen, Tobias Braun, Jasemin Brikey, Dr. Laura Burmeister, Janina Conradi, Anastasia Dielmann, Heike Dornhoff, Peter Eberle, Michel Evert, Jennifer Friesen, Dr. Nelson Gekara, Henning Hartwig, Mike Hasenberg, Claudia Heidorn, Karolina Heinrichs, Nils Hottenbacher, Hanna Humbach, Dr. Nico Jäschke, Marcel Jaron, Caroline Jerrentrup, Felix Keil, Adrian Kordes, Carlotta Kornblum, Mareike Kubinski, Nurdan Kudu, Maike Kuhn, Fabienne Libuda, Sarah Lindenlaub, Yvonne Medler, Sabrina Meine, Rieke Moritz, Susanne Nagel, Dr. Sandra Noack, Malin Peter, Svenja Rieke, Nathalie Rosner, Isabel Ramón Roth, Dr. Luisa Schäck, Janett Schaper-Rinkel, Franziska Scholl, Justin-John Schrader, Jennifer Schulze, Yasmin Schwier, Dr. Virginia Seiffart, Dr. Sandra Shahab-Osterloh, Meike Simann, Yan Thorsting, Isabelle Trieu, Dr. Ramona Weist, Patrick Wellbrock, Sabrina Wiechmann, Dr. Andreas Winkel, Claas Wodarczyk
News
Here you will find our latest scientific achievements, general news or job offers.
(please do not apply without job posting)
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Family News
Nina has given birth to her daughter. Have a bright future, both of you! Patrik now is father of a daughter, too. All the best wishes!
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Thank you to our donors
Thank you to all donors of the tissue samples from which we perform our analyses! Without your tissue donations, our patient-centred biomedical research would not be possible. The photo shows a bone marrow aspiration from the iliac crest. Photo by Nina Friese.