REPAIR-lab 
INSTITUTE OF PATHOLOGY
The REPAIR laboratory is the central research facility of the Institute of Pathology at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz and is the acronym for :
Laboratory for REgenerative PAthology & Interface Research.
It is one of the established laboratories in the EU Network of Excellence in Tissue Engineering (EXPERTISSUES) and also houses the first German-Chinese Young Investigator Group in Regenerative Medicine of the Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF), scheduled to run from 2007 to 2012. The laboratory has also completed a project in the six-year Priority Programme (SPP 1100) of the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2001 to 2007 on the topic of the interface between metals and the biosystem.
Regenerative Medicine, which includes the field of Tissue Engineering, is a rapidly expanding, highly multidisciplinary research area which is already impacting on clinical medicine, and will in our opinion transform the face of medical research and practice in the next decades.
Professor Dr. C. James Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FBSE was appointed to the Chair of Pathology in 1993. The research facilities established in the REPAIR-lab in the past years aim at reducing and replacing animal experimentation by refining tissue culture strategies and developing new methods to make them more relevant to human medicine. This activity over many years was recognized in 2009 with the Research Prize of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for Research on Replacement and Alternative Methods for Animal Research (Kirkpatrick together with Dr. Christine Pohl & Dr. Maria Iris Hermanns). Prof. Kirkpatrick was also given the George Winter Award 2008 by The European Society for Biomaterials for outstanding research contributions to the field of biomaterials.
Principal field of competence :
Cell culture of human cells, including adult stem cells, with cell and molecular biological characterization for research in biomaterials and regenerative medicine. A major focus is endothelial cell pathobiology in inflammation and healing processes.
Facilities
All facilities are available for state of the art cell and molecular biology, including tissue culture, biochemical analysis, immunocytochemistry (including confocal laser scanning microscopy), cell transfection by plasmid vectors, nucleic acid analysis (e.g. RT-PCR), FACS and computer-assisted morphometric analysis, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (+ EDX analysis).
Training
The laboratories have a constant flow of students in medicine, dentistry and biology, who are doing diploma or doctorate theses. In addition, post-doctoral scientists, visiting professors and laboratory technicians have visited the laboratory to learn new techniques and conduct collaborative work.
Description of current activities
The REPAIR-lab of the Institute of Pathology at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz has biomaterial research and regenerative medicine (RegMed) as the major focal points of its research activity. Two principal aspects are emphasized, namely the application of modern methods of cell and molecular biology to study how biomaterials affect cell function, a pre-requisite for success in tissue engineering . These methods include study of gene expression at both the protein and nucleic acid level. For this purpose the institute has established laboratories for tissue culture, biochemical analysis (ELISA, cell-EIA, Western blot), modern microscopic techniques (confocal laser scanning microscopy as well as quantitative morphometric analysis of human cells in both static and dynamic culture) and gene expression (Northern and Southern blotting techniques as well as quantitative RT-PCR and transfection). The central element in this activity is the establishment of relevant in vitro models with which to study the biofunctionality of cells of different phenotype in interaction with novel natural and synthetic biomaterials. Special interest to date has focussed on endothelial cell interactions, as this concerns the important issue of vascularisation of implants and healing response (angiogenesis). We have also developed in vitro co-culture assays to study bone regeneration using human cells, for example, osteoblasts co-cultured with endothelial cells, as well as barrier systems such as the alveolo-capillary barrier in the lung. The latter is being used to study mechanisms of acute lung injury, as well as possibilities to use nanoparticles for drug- and gene delivery. In addition, we are studying the regulation of lineage differentiation of adult bone marrow and other stem cells with respect to tissue engineering applications. The most recent research group in the REPAIR-lab is working on new aspects of cartilage differentiation and tissue engineering.
The second aspect in RegMed concerns the use of classical in situ methods of pathology to study the tissue reaction to implanted materials. For this purpose laboratories exist in addition to the REPAIR-lab for classical histology, immunohistochemistry and molecular pathology (e.g. PCR, in situ hybridization techniques), as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The mission of all these activities with respect to biomaterial research is the establishing of structure-function correlations for biomaterials in interaction with human cells to understand biomaterial-related pathology and to facilitate advances in the construction of improved and novel implants for regenerative medical application.
The REPAIR-Lab is also a partner in two Marie Curie training programmes for science doctoral students from other European countries. These programmes concern bone and cartilage regeneration.
Interface Research also embraces our interest in basic pathomechanisms in oncology, as this concerns the interface between a cancer and the non-cancerous tissue, with special emphasis on the inflammatory reaction.
Publications & more detailed information about the REPAIR-lab :
Institute of Pathology website : http://www.klinik.uni-mainz.de/pathologie/
Past & Current Research Projects in the REPAIR-lab 1993-2007
Project
Funding
Description & thematic focus
BRITE-EURAM 8000
EC
Mechanisms of biomaterial carcinogenicity [1994-1997]
BMH4-CT96-0013
EC
Evaluation of in vitro test methods to characterize bone implant materials [1996-1999]
QLK4-CT-2001-00147
EC
The role of nano-particles in material-induced pathologies [2002-2004]
EXPERTISSUES
EC
EU Network of Excellence in regenerative medicine of bone and cartilage [2004-2009]
AUTOBONE
EC
Ceramics for bone regeneration [2004-2007]
HIPPOCRATES
EC
Biopolymers for osteochondral tissue engineering [2004-2007]
CellNanoTox
EC
Cellular interaction of engineered nanoparticles [2006-2009]
NanoBioPharmaceutics
EC
Nanoscale targeting systems for drug and gene delivery [2006-2010]
Marie Curie Programme
Alea Jacta EST
EC
Training programme with PhD projects on tissue engineering of connective tissues [2005-2008]
Marie Curie Programme
JOIN(ed)T
EC
Training programme with PhD projects on synovial joint regeneration [2006-2009]
E/B41G/M0480/M5914
BMVg
Co-culture system to study the pathogenesis of endothelial damage by toxic chemicals [1991-1997]
E/B41G/Y0103/Y5905
BMVg
Co-culture model of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and blood cells for toxic lung injury [1998-2001]
E/B41G/1G302/1A402
BMVg
3D co-culture model of the distal human lung to study the pathogenesis of ARDS [2001-2004]
E/UR3G/4G392/4A804
BMVg
Human co-culture models of a bronchial unit for pharmacotoxicological studies [2004-2007]
KI 210/9-1
DFG
Cell biological characterization of the non-neuronal cholinergic system in the human placenta [2000-2002]
KI 601/1-4
DFG
Priority Programme SPP1100 : 2- & 3-D human co-culture systems to study the interface between metals & the biosystem [2001-2007]
KI 601/4-1
DFG
Cellular reactive oxygen species and titanium interactions [2005-2006]
I-738-93.9/2002
GIF
Human cell interactions with reverse thermoresponsive gels [2004-2008]
PTJ-BIO/0313405C
BMBF
Bone tissue engineering using composites of calcium phosphate/SiO2 for mesenchymal stem cells [2005-2008]
PTJ : 0315033
BMBF/
DAAD
German-Chinese Young Investigator Group
(Nachwuchsgruppe)[2007-2012]
FV M/SAB1/7A011
BMVg
Prevalidation of human co-culture models of the lung for prediction of toxic effects [2007-2010]
BIONEERS (KI 601/6-1)
DFG
Biological influence of nanoparticles on exposed epithelial respiratory surfaces [2008-2010] [Priority Programme SPP1313]
DISC REGENERATION
NMP3-LA-2008-213904
EC [FP7]
Highly porous bioactive scaffolds controlling angiogenesis for tissue engineering [large-scale integrating project] [2008-2012]
EC = European Commission; BMVg = German Defense Ministry; GIF = German-Israeli Foundation; DFG = German Research Foundation; BMBF = Federal Ministry of Education & Research
