Andreas Zuckermann, M.D.

Vienna Cardiac Transplant Group

1. Immunosuppression: Vienna has a long tradition in clinical as well as translational research of immunosuppressive drugs. Several international multicenter trials for drug approval have been conducted over the last years. Moreover interventional drug studies to individualize immunsuppression have been conducted. Another area is retrospective analysis of short- as well as long-term outcome with different immunosuppressive protocols.
2. Biomarker research have been an increasing focus in the last years. Several translational studies were conducted to investigate the potential of biomarkers in diagnosis or prediction of primary graft dysfunction, acute rejection and graft vasculopathy. Vienna has been one of the first centers to investigate a molecular test for acute rejection prediction on an european level (CARGO II trail).
3. Risk factor analysis for transplant outcome and the implementation of quality control tools on a national and international level has been a major field of research since the beginning of the program. Age, gender, pre-transplant risk factors, immunosuppression and donor factors are only a few that have been tested in several multivariate models. Foundation of this research has been the Vienna Heart Transplant data-base that has increased and restructured several times over the last three decades.
4. Immunological sensitization and antibody mediated rejection (AMR) is a new cooperation project that gathers several experts at the Medical University Vienna (Prof. Böhmig, Prof. Fischer, Dr. Aumayr) as an interdisciplinary team. Several cooperations with international groups are building up at the moment. 
5. Heart Donor research is a relatively new focus of our group, mainly based on the changing donor population in europe. Basic research analyses the effects of brain death on the heart graft and potential intervention possibilities. Translational research works in new biomarkers that might predict primary graft dysfunction. Clinical research focuses on risk factos for the development of primary graft dysfunction, intervention prior to transplantation and mechanical support (ECMO) for established primary graft dysfunction.
6. Surgical treatment of heart failure (high risk bypass surgery, valve replacement and reconstruction and ventricular restoration) and patient selection and optimization prior surgery as well as intra- and peri-operative treatment is another mutidisciplinary project (Anesthiosology, Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery).