Expert Circle

The overarching aim of the expert circle is to institutionalize organ-specific reference centers and best practice centers to monitor COVID-19 pathology and generate national guidelines in diagnostics.

To ensure success, the following objectives are necessary:

  • Platform for organ-specific reference pathology assessment
  • Establishment and implementation of post mortem COVID-19 diagnostic criteria
  • Reporting of stratified COVID-19 autopsy findings
  • Establishment, implementation, and distribution of COVID-19 related best practice
  • Standardized cooperation to regional public health services

Organ-specific reference centers enabling “state-of-the-art” reference diagnostics on COVID-19 relevant organ systems have been set up during DEFEAT PANDEMIcs due to their specific expertise and already existing and ready-to-use infrastructures established in the framework of already existing research structures. These are complemented by an organ-overarching reference center for infection diagnostics with expertise in molecular virology and virus detection.

Organ system Reference center
Lung/Respiratory Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Kidney/Uro Universitätsklinikum Aachen
CardiovascularUniversitätsklinikum Erlangen
Central Nervous SystemUniversitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
Lymphatic/Hematopoietic systemUniversitätsklinikum Tübingen
Liver/PancreaticobiliaryUniversitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Gastrointestinal TractUniversitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
Infection diagnosticsUniversitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf