German Society for General and Visceral Surgery honours MHH surgeon as a clinically and scientifically outstanding physician
New member of the DGAV Academy of Excellence: Dr Philipp Felgendreff. Copyright: Kathrin Reinsch/MHH
Dr Philipp Felgendreff, specialist at the Clinic for General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery at Hannover Medical School (MHH), has been accepted into the Academy of Excellence of the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV). ‘I am happy with him about this award and am convinced that Dr Felgendreff will meet the high expectations and represent the MHH in the Academy and beyond,’ explains Clinic Director Professor Dr Moritz Schmelzle, who had proposed Dr Felgendreff for admission. In June, the 36-year-old was able to convince the committee of this year's Convention of Chairs of General and Visceral Surgery in Cologne of his research in the fields of ‘Organ Tissue Engineering’ and ‘Extracorporeal Liver Assist Devices’. A maximum of 25 outstanding clinically and scientifically active surgeons are accepted into the Academy and supported for up to six years in order to prepare them for leadership positions.
The visceral surgeon has been working at the MHH since August 2023. After studying medicine in Leipzig, he initially worked at Jena University Hospital. A scholarship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) then enabled him to move to the renowned Mayo Clinic in the USA, where he worked on innovative therapeutic concepts for liver transplant surgery. The visceral surgeon brought another DFG fellowship with him to Hanover and was able to establish his research group here. ‘As a renowned transplant clinic with many networked specialist disciplines, the MHH is an ideal environment for my research,’ emphasises the physician
Research into new liver replacement procedures
Dr Felgendreff would like to develop new sources for liver replacement procedures in order to help people with acute liver failure. Tissue engineering, i.e. the artificial production of biological replacement tissue, is one building block on the way to achieving this.
The surgeon and his team are investigating the possibility of creating new organs for liver transplantation. The basis is a damaged, explanted liver. The organ is first freed of all liver cells using a special decellularisation process so that only a scaffold of so-called extracellular matrix remains. This can then be repopulated with new cells - such as liver cells from healthy individuals or from stem cells that have been reprogrammed into liver cells. If the cells grow in the matrix, the artificially created organ takes on the function of a natural liver.
In the future, this procedure should make additional donor organs available for liver transplantation. Particularly in combination with extracorporeal perfusion, i.e. the mechanical perfusion of the organ outside the body, new treatment options may arise, especially for patients with acute liver failure. ‘In principle, this works like dialysis and would give us the opportunity to support a patient's damaged liver in the short term or help it to heal,’ explains the visceral surgeon. With his research, Dr Felgendreff is making an important contribution to the further development of liver transplantation.
DGAV Academy of Excellence
The DGAV's Excellence Academy for the promotion of young scientists was established in 2008 by the Chairs of General and Visceral Surgery. The aim of the initiative is the early identification, mutual familiarisation and long-term promotion of clinically and scientifically exceptional personalities. Applications can be submitted annually on the recommendation of a direct superior. The standardised documents submitted are reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of experts appointed by the Chair Convention, who nominate the candidates on this basis.
Text: Kirsten Pötzke