About POeT
Management of severe chronic diseases caused by organ failure is one of the
most thrilling challenges in medical science. The Vienna General Hospital is
one of the leading European centers for transplantation and replacement of
solid organs (heart, liver, lung and kidney) as well as for the care of
patients with organ failure. With its excellent expertise, the Vienna General
Hospital and the St. Anna Kinderspital take a leading position in
hematopoetic stem cell transplantation among hospitals in Europe.
Scientists with a strong interest in organ failure, -replacement and
transplantation constitute the POeT program within the division of medical
sciences. The scientific emphasis is put on the research into mechanisms
leading to organ-damage and organ-recovery, optimization of organ-replacement
therapy (bridging, dialysis and transplantation), cytoprotective therapy,
immunosuppressive therapy as well as immunologic transplantation-tolerance
and its establishment. Due to these focuses, one will find a broad range of
interdisciplinary scientific work within the POeT-program, involving clinical
research, basic research and research into selected areas of basic sciences.
Each student has a mentor who serves as an advisor during all steps of
scientific work – whether it be clinical studies or studies in the research
laboratory. Students set up a detailed dissertation proposal drawing general
guidance from their mentors; different designs of basic and clinical research
may be integrated.
Basic lectures provide an organ-specific theoretical background of organ
failure and basic principles of replacement therapy as well as on general
aspects of organ failure and organ replacement. Elective courses broaden the
scope of knowledge for topics of special interest, impart know-how in
clinical research (design of clinical trials, statistics, etc.) and basic
research (e.g. methodology); beyond this, elective courses provide the
munition for writing scientific articles.
At the journal- and progress-clubs, students compile scientific articles in
their field of study in such a way, those members of other scientific groups
– whether working on clinical trials or on basic research projects -- may
understand the topic and gain some insight into this research area. In this
course there will also be regularly presentations of the research-groups'
results.
Practical seminars will form the bridge from research to clinical application.
Primary aim of the program is to educate scientists who are able to
independently implement clinical trials, projects in translational science
and basic scientific research in the field of organ failure, -replacement and
transplantation medicine. This aim is achieved, besides thematic diversity,
by a broad spectrum of techniques offered (see the table of applied
techniques). The graduates from this program will hence be able to take root
in the most different sectors (e.g. medical schools, academic and industrial
laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechtechnological enterprises, production
and distribution of scientific devices).
