The focus: This is how research saves life in Feldkirch!

The focus: This is how research saves life in Feldkirch!

April 29, 2025 is all about pathology, a central area of medicine that is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Primar Felix Offner, head of the Institute of Pathology in the LKH Feldkirch, emphasizes that pathologists mainly deal with the detection and diagnosis of illnesses in living patients. The institute, which examines rehearsals of around 100,000 patients every year, often provides the basis for therapies based on the results of the examinations. Participation in the online lectures that take place today at 6 p.m. Susanne Neumayer is free and gives interested parties a deep insight into the topic.

The field of activity of the pathology includes both the disease theory and research on the healthy maintenance of people. Progresses in this area, such as the new multiplex PCR test for the identification of relevant infectious agents, are significant progress. This test not only enables greater accuracy, but also saves time compared to traditional methods. It should be emphasized that the multiplex PCR test increasingly replaces the papal smear for the early detection of gynecological tumors-an innovative approach that is based on modern molecular biological techniques.

The role of HPV in the pathology

A concrete example of the relevance of the pathology is the identification of the human papillomavirus (HPV) as the main cause of cervical cancer. Around 16,000 new cases are recorded in Mexico every year, and cervical cancer worldwide is the second most common cancer in women. The HPV detection is typically based on PCR-based tests that use a new multiplex-PCR methodology to demonstrate 20 different HPV types, including 15 high-risk (HR) types. This method offers an inexpensive and effective way of early detection and increases the chance of early interventions.

In a comprehensive analysis that includes 611 samples, 282 samples showed a positiveness for HR HPV types, with 101 samples of multiple infections. The technical implementation of these tests includes DNA extraction and specific primers that enable an exact typing. The multiplex PCR tests were also able to identify both individual and multiple HR HPV infections and thus represent a promising option for the future of HPV tests.

technical progress and their importance

The comprehensive technical equipment of the Institute of Pathology in Feldkirch, which includes microscopy, immunology and molecular genetics, enables employees to carry out a wide range of studies. These include cytological, histological and medical-microbiological examinations as well as clinical autopsies. Future developments in pathology could also be promoted by using multiplex-PCR techniques, which could also be used in the low-income countries.

The initiative for participation in the online lectures and the comprehensive diagnostic techniques that are used at LKH Feldkirch impressively show how complex and important the pathology for modern medicine is. With the progressive techniques, the early detection of diseases is further improved, which ultimately leads to an increase in treatment success.

interested parties can find out about the details of participation in today's lectures in order to learn more about the role of pathology in medicine.

For more information, the respective articles on the platforms of Vol.at , pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov