Pathologie

Leitung:		Prof. Dr. Heinz Höfler
Institut:		Institut für Pathologie, Helmholtz Zentrum München
Homepage:		www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/en/path

The Pathology Screen holds a central position in the German Mouse Clinic (GMC). The macroscopical and microscopical examinations provide the anatomical basis of the phenotypes detected in other GMC screens and facilitate the discovery of clinico-pathological correlations. The use of state-of-the-art techniques established in human pathology is therefore essential in the GMC pathology screen. With a standardized workflow, 10 histochemical special stains as well as 60 antibodies for automatic immunohistochemical investigation, the NGFN funding period was successfully used for further development of state-of-the-art techniques and methods. In this way, in 40 % of more than 250 analyzed genetically modified mouse lines a pathological phenotype was found and characterized. The Pathology Screen supports the discovery of Gene functions and signaling cascades which influence the development of human diseases and provides as precise as possible descriptions of the potential models of illness. It was possible to characterize mouse models of systemic lupus erythematodes, the pathologic process of aging as well as arrest in spermatogenesis. The growing insight into the pathogenesis of different diseases or therapy effects will be useful in the future for diagnostic issues, new therapy strategies or preventative methods in human medicine.