MEDIZINISCHE HOCHSCHULE HANNOVER

Their core work

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH) is a leading German medical university specializing in translational medicine — moving laboratory discoveries into patient treatments. Their core strengths lie in gene therapy for rare diseases, cardiac tissue engineering, lung disease research, and cancer immunotherapy. They develop advanced therapies including cell-based treatments, gene delivery vectors, and regenerative medicine approaches such as decellularized tissue grafts and bioreactor-scaled stem cell production. MHH also contributes significantly to training the next generation of biomedical researchers through multiple Marie Skłodowska-Curie and ERC-funded programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2018, MHH focused heavily on cardiac regenerative medicine — tissue-engineered heart valves (ARISE), bioreactor-scaled stem cell production (POSEIDON), and heart failure diagnostics (LONGHEART). Their early keyword profile centres on decellularization, bioreactors, automation, and cancer. From 2019 onward, a clear pivot emerged toward gene therapy for rare diseases, with strong involvement in EJP RD, RECOMB, and CureCN, alongside growing engagement with FAIR data principles, patient empowerment, and public-private partnerships for clinical translation. The shift signals a move from engineering-heavy lab work to clinically oriented rare disease therapeutics and regulatory-aware translational research.

MHH is moving decisively toward clinical-stage gene and cell therapies for rare diseases, with increasing attention to regulatory frameworks and FAIR data infrastructure — expect future projects at the therapy-regulation intersection.

How they like to work

MHH balances coordination and partnership roles well: they coordinated 10 of 44 projects (23%), often on their strongest topics like cardiac engineering and lung research, while joining as participant in broader European consortia for rare diseases and training networks. With 570 unique partners across 50 countries, they operate as a highly connected hub rather than a closed-circle collaborator. This broad network makes them an accessible partner — they are experienced at integrating into large multi-country consortia and know how to work across disciplines.

MHH has collaborated with 570 distinct partners across 50 countries, making them one of the more extensively networked medical universities in H2020. Their reach spans well beyond the EU into global partnerships, though the concentration remains in European health research consortia.

What sets them apart

MHH combines deep bench-to-bedside capability in gene therapy, cardiac regeneration, and lung disease with strong manufacturing know-how for advanced therapies (cell production, bioreactor scale-up, AAV vector delivery). Unlike many academic medical centres that stop at basic research, MHH consistently engages in projects that address the full translational chain — from lab discovery through GMP manufacturing to clinical trials and regulatory compliance. For consortium builders, they bring both scientific depth and practical experience in turning research into therapies that can actually reach patients.

Highlights from their portfolio

• XHaLe
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.99M) as coordinator — a flagship ERC-funded lung research programme covering transplantation, remodelling, and organ dysfunction.
• ARISE
  Coordinated a pioneering project on individualized regenerative heart valve allografts using decellularization and recellularization — a direct clinical application of tissue engineering.
• EJP RD
  Dual involvement (participant + third party) in the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases — signals deep institutional commitment to the rare disease ecosystem and FAIR data infrastructure.