Organ donation figures in 2025 at highest level since 2012
In 2025, 985 people donated organs in Germany after their death, 32 more than in 2024 and the highest figure since 2012. This corresponds to 11.8 donors per million inhabitants. Nevertheless, the number is not enough to help all waiting list patients. A total of 3020...
Pharmacy death in Germany continues
The death of pharmacies in Germany continues. At the end of 2025, there were only 16,601 pharmacies nationwide, 440 fewer than in the previous year. The 502 closures were offset by only 62 new openings. This is the lowest level in almost 50 years, comparable to 1977,...
Genetic risk factor and viral infection contribute to MS
Researchers at the University of Zurich have shown that multiple sclerosis is caused by the interaction of an Epstein-Barr virus infection and genetic risk factors. The virus is present in all MS patients, but also infects 95 percent of healthy people. An infection...
Digital Laboratory Award for Digitization and AI Applications Announced
The German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) awards the Digital Laboratory Award for outstanding achievements in the field of digitization and AI applications in laboratory medicine. The prize, donated by Limbach Gruppe SE, is endowed with...
CHIP mutations: New risk factor for heart patients uncovered
Researchers have identified CHIP mutations as a new risk factor for cardiovascular disease. These changes in hematopoietic stem cells occur with age and lead to mutated blood cells that produce excessive inflammatory substances. This increases the risk of vascular...
10x Genomics Launches Large-Scale Study on Blood-Based Immune Signatures in Autoimmune Diseases
On January 12, 2026, 10x Genomics, one of the leading providers of single-cell and spatial biology technologies, announced a collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston) that is expected to attract significant attention in rheumatology and immunology. The...
Expert panel calls for more therapy optimization studies for cancer drugs
In a workshop of the Cancer Medicines Forum at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), an international panel of experts has identified ways in which studies to optimise cancer treatments can improve the evidence situation after the approval of new drugs. The results...
Colorectal cancer with KRAS mutation reprograms neutrophils already in the bone marrow
An interdisciplinary team from the Medical University of Innsbruck and the University of Zurich has shown for the first time that KRAS-mutated colorectal tumors reprogram neutrophils in the bone marrow, thus turning them into tumor-promoting immune cells. The...
DGKL CEO Jan Wolter calls for a total reset of the German health care system
Germany needs a total reset of the health system. The chairman of the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Jan Wolter, draws attention to this in an exclusive interview with MedLabPortal. The political scientist was unanimously appointed to...
DNA analysis of intestinal polyps reveals hereditary risks
A European study shows that genetic testing of intestinal polyps in patients with many polyps and a negative blood test can reveal additional hereditary risk factors. Researchers at the Radboud University Medical Center and the University Hospital Bonn, in...
