[From autopsy to translatability]

Although autopsy techniques have remained virtually unchanged for almost 150 years, the scientific potential of biomaterials and data from autopsies has evolved significantly due to advances in analytical methods, imaging techniques, and computer-assisted analysis.

Native and contrast-enhanced postmortem imaging techniques were established and evaluated in clinical autopsies. Contrast-enhanced postmortem imaging was used as a translational tool to quantify renal vascular density in chronic kidney disease. The value of biomaterials from clinical autopsies for translational research was investigated. The establishment of a national autopsy registry enabled comprehensive analyses of data obtained from autopsies.

The development, application, and evaluation of native and contrast-enhanced postmortem imaging techniques; the translational use of postmortem imaging; and the application of various molecular biological methods to biomaterials obtained from autopsies, as well as the collection and systematic analysis of data from autopsies, each showed unique potential. This is not only applicable to further development of postmortem diagnostics, but also to translational research.

Postmortem biomaterials and data are unique for many scientific questions, for example in multisystem diseases and complex disease progression. It is therefore crucial that we, as a pathology community, use and further develop innovative methods in the field of autopsy.