For her diploma and doctoral thesis under the supervision of Professor Heike Walles, Dr. Johanna Schanz developed methods for the reseeding of the blood vessel structures in a biological carrier structure.

This technique makes it possible to manufacture complex, vascularized human tissues that can be used as test systems to investigate in vitro findings on the potential toxic effects of new active ingredients on humans. Schanz and Walles were awarded the “Prize for human-centered technology” on the occasion of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s annual conference on June 23, 2009.