The DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD) explores the capacity for regeneration of the human body and aims to develop novel regenerative therapies. Therapies based on the transplantation of cells are already being performed at the CRTD with hematological stem cells. However, for many human diseases such as diabetes, Morbus Parkinson, Alzheimer, bone/cartilage defects or cardiovascular diseases regenerative therapies have not yet been developed. To develop such therapies, the CRTD explores mechanisms of stem cell physiology in vitro as well as in vivo using animal models such as mouse, axolotl and zebrafish. The acquired knowledge provides the basis for exploring how newly discovered factors and novel mechanisms can be used for therapies. For this purpose, preclinical and clinical studies are performed. The CRTD also focuses on establishing protocols to manipulate various stem cells and to integrate them into tissue and organs. In addition, CRTD groups optimize the integration of biomaterials and cells to generate a new generation of living transplants and develop new concepts to suppress immunological rejection of allogeneic transplants or cells.

The CRTD conducts research in three major disciplines:

• Medicine,
• Cell Biology Development
• Materials, Nanotechnology, Engineering

Within these disciplines the research in the CRTD focuses on four research areas:

• Hematology/Immunology
• Diabetes
• Neurodegeneration
• Bone Regeneration

and one interest group:

• Cardiovascular diseases