Center for Rheumatism Pathology
The Center for Rheumatic Pathology ( ZRP ), Mainz is a pathological research institute that is the only one in Germany to specialize in the morphological diagnostics and basic research of rheumatic diseases . Since 2006 the until then independent gGmbH has been a member of the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz .
Founded in 1974 by Hans Georg Fassbender , the Center for Rheumatic Pathology has been the reference center of the World Health Organization (WHO; Collaborating Center for Development of Histopathological Classification and Diagnostic Criteria of Rheumatoid Arthritis and allied Diseases ) since 1977 .
research
In the course of its work, the ZRP has set up a tissue bank with tissue samples from around 92,000 patients (as of August 2008). The focus of research is on the destruction processes of rheumatic diseases.