Haverich
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Axel Haverich (born March 9, 1953) is a German cardiac surgeon.


Biography

Born in
Lemgo Lemgo (; ) is a university and old Hanseatic League, Hanseatic town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser Uplands, 25 km east of Bielefeld and 70 km west of H ...
, Haverich completed his
Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...
at the
Barntrup Barntrup () is a town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has an area of 59.46 km2 and 8,501 inhabitants (2019). It lies 40 km east from Bielefeld and 9 km west from Bad Pyrmont at the east border of NRW to ...
Gymnasium in 1972. He studied medicine at the
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover The Hannover Medical School (, abbreviated to MHH) is a university medical centre founded in 1965 in Hanover, Germany. MHH is part of a regional medical network. History In June 1961, the German Science and Humanities Council recommended that ...
(MHH) and graduated in 1978.Medizinische Hochschule Hannover: Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. A. Haverich (Biography, in German)
/ref> One year later he received his
M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...
title (promotion). During his work as an assistant surgeon he spend time as a research assistant at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
. In 1985 he became Senior Surgeon (Oberarzt) at the Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery at the MHH. His
habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
was completed in 1987. From 1993 to 1996 he worked as the Director for heart and vascular surgery at the
Kiel University Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public University, public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ...
. In 1996 he returned to the MHH as medical director of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplant and Vascular Surgery.MHH: Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplant and Vascular Surgery
/ref>


Work

Much of Haverich’s work is focused on
tissue engineering Tissue engineering is a biomedical engineering discipline that uses a combination of cells, engineering, materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to restore, maintain, improve, or replace different types of biolo ...
and development of implantable organs, specifically for the heart and vascular system. In 2006 his team reported on the transplantation of
heart valve A heart valve is a biological one-way valve that allows blood to flow in one direction through the chambers of the heart. A mammalian heart usually has four valves. Together, the valves determine the direction of blood flow through the heart. Hea ...
s in two children (11 and 13 years old) done in 2002; the heart valves originated from donors, were decellularized, and then reseeded with autologous stem cells so that they would continue to grow. Haverich's aim is eventually to rebuild the heart by tissue engineering "from ourselves". In 1996 Haverich founded the Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO) to develop bioengineered tissue for the heart. In 2006 Haverich founded a private company, Corlife, to produce decellularized heart halves.


Hypothesis on development of arteriosclerosis

In 2017 Haverich presented a new hypothesis about the pathogenesis of
arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...
. While the potential role of infection and inflammation had been discussed for decades, Haverich noted that only specific arteries were subject to development of arteriosclerotic plaques. He postulated that the formation of plaques is not from inside the vessel, but the result of inflammation of the feeding vessels (
vasa vasorum Vasa vasorum are networks of small blood vessels that supply the walls of large blood vessels, such as elastic arteries (e.g., the aorta) and large veins (e.g., the venae cavae). The name derives . Occasionally, two different singular forms ar ...
) of arteries that becoming inflamed compromising the integrity of the arterial wall. He noted that arteries with thin walls not having vasa vasorum do not develop arteriosclerosis. He postulated that the damage by inflamed vasa vasorum leads to cell death within the wall and subsequent plaques formation. Vasa vasorum inflammation can be caused by viruses, bacteria, and fine dust among others. According to his view this concept conforms to observations that
cardiac infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retro ...
s are more common when influenza has occurred or fine particles have been inhaled.


Memberships and editorships

(selection) * Senate of MHH, 1999–2003 * Senate of
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft The German Research Foundation ( ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2019, the DFG had a funding bu ...
, 2001–2007 * Leopoldina, since 2003Membership Leopoldina
/ref> * President of the German Society of Surgery, 2010–2011 * Co-Editor: **
European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery The ''European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery'', abbreviated ''Eur J Cardiothorac Surg'', is an academic journal, principally covering topics pertaining to cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery. Editorial board The journal has an editorial ...
, since 1993 ** Transplantationsmedizin, 1988–1992 ** Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery, since 1997


Awards

* 1993 Franz Köhler-Preis for experimental and clinical organ preservation in lung transplantsCV Axel Havenich, Leopoldina
/ref> * 1995 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize * 2002 Niedersächsischer Staatspreis * 2007
Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
by the
Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy The Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy (USMF; ) is a medical university located in Chișinău, Moldova. The institution began its activity in 1945. It is named after Nicolae Testemițanu. History The Chişinău Sta ...
of
Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...
,
Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
* 2014 Münster Heart Centre Lecture Award, Stiftung Herzzentrum Münster


References


External links


Corlife
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haverich, Axel 1953 births Living people German cardiac surgeons Physicians from Hanover People from Lemgo Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences