Microbiological safety including virological safety (Z02)

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: from 2012 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 213602983

Aim of project Z2 is the evaluation of the microbial safety of xenotransplants. This does include breeding, testing and selection of donor animals, organs, tissues and cells. Topic is the development and validation of highly sensitive detection methods. Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) exist as proviruses in the pig genome and will be inactivated by gene editing in co-operation with projects B1&B2 and B3. Influence of gene editing will be analysed on the RNA level. The methods developed will be used to monitor recipients of xenotransplants in non-clinical studies and prospectively in clinical trials.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 127: Biology of Xenogeneic Cell and Organ Transplantation - From Bench to Bedside
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Project Heads: Dr. Joachim Denner; Dr. Antonia Wiga Godehardt; Professor Benedikt Bertold Kaufer, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Ralf R. Tönjes