POET (Programme for Organfailure, -replacement and Transplantation)

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 of solid organs (heart, liver, lung, kidney and pancreas) and bone marrow 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 programme 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-programme, involving clinical research, basic research and research into selected areas of basic sciences.

Primary aim of the programme 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 programme 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).