Klaus Rajewsky
Encyclopedia
Klaus Rajewsky is a German
immunologist, renowned for his work on B cell
s.
He studied medicine in Frankfurt, Munich
and at the Pasteur Institute
, Paris
. In 1964, he started working at the Institute of Genetics
in the University of Cologne
, where he became professor for genetics. He researched Hodgkin's disease and the role of B cells within the immune system
. He also developed conditional knockout mice based on Cre-Lox recombination
.
He is one of the founding fathers of the German society for immunology (1967).
Since 1994, he has been a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
.
From 1995 to 2001 he was head of the Monterontondo station of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
near Rome
.
In 1996, he was awarded the Robert Koch Prize
(shared with Fritz Melchers).
In 1998, he founded Artemis Pharmaceuticals, together with Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
and Peter Stadler.
In 2001, he started working at the Center for Blood Research at Harvard Medical School
, Boston
, where an additional focus of his work concerns RNAi
, especially microRNAs, in conjunction with immune development and control.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immunologist, renowned for his work on B cell
B cell
B cells are lymphocytes that play a large role in the humoral immune response . The principal functions of B cells are to make antibodies against antigens, perform the role of antigen-presenting cells and eventually develop into memory B cells after activation by antigen interaction...
s.
He studied medicine in Frankfurt, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and at the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1964, he started working at the Institute of Genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
in the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
, where he became professor for genetics. He researched Hodgkin's disease and the role of B cells within the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
. He also developed conditional knockout mice based on Cre-Lox recombination
Cre-Lox recombination
Cre-Lox recombination is a special type of site-specific recombination developed by Dr. Brian Sauer initially for use in activating gene expression in mammalian cell lines and transgenic mice . Subsequently, the laboratory of Dr...
.
He is one of the founding fathers of the German society for immunology (1967).
Since 1994, he has been a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
.
From 1995 to 2001 he was head of the Monterontondo station of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory is a molecular biology research institution supported by 20 European countries and Australia as associate member state. EMBL was created in 1974 and is an intergovernmental organisation funded by public research money from its member states...
near Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
In 1996, he was awarded the Robert Koch Prize
Robert Koch Prize
The Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the cause and cure for tuberculosis...
(shared with Fritz Melchers).
In 1998, he founded Artemis Pharmaceuticals, together with Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a German biologist who won the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1991 and the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995, together with Eric Wieschaus and Edward B...
and Peter Stadler.
In 2001, he started working at the Center for Blood Research at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where an additional focus of his work concerns RNAi
RNAI
RNAI is a non-coding RNA that is an antisense repressor of the replication of some E. coli plasmids, including ColE1. Plasmid replication is usually initiated by RNAII, which acts as a primer by binding to its template DNA. The complementary RNAI binds RNAII prohibiting it from its initiation role...
, especially microRNAs, in conjunction with immune development and control.
Awards
- 1977 Avery-Landsteiner Prize of the German society for immunology
- 1994 Behring Kitasato Prize
- 1996 Robert Koch PrizeRobert Koch PrizeThe Robert Koch Medal and Award are two prizes awarded annually for excellence in the biomedical sciences. These awards grew out of early attempts by Robert Koch to generate funding to support his research into the cause and cure for tuberculosis...
, together with Fritz Melchers - 1997 Körber Prize for European Science
- 2001 Deutscher Krebshilfepreis, together with Martin-Leo Hansmann and Ralf Küppers
- 2004 Honorary degreeHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am MainJohann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am MainThe Goethe University Frankfurt was founded in 1914 as a Citizens' University, which means that, while it was a State university of Prussia, it had been founded and financed by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt am Main, a unique feature in German university history... - 2005 Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize for Cancer Research, together with Mariano BarbacidMariano BarbacidMariano Barbacid is a Spanish molecular biologist who discovered the first oncogene....
- 2007 Novartis Basic Immunology Prize, together with Frederick W. Alt and Fritz Melchers
- 2008 Ernst Schering Preis
- 2009 William B. Coley AwardWilliam B. Coley AwardThe William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology is presented annually by the Cancer Research Institute, Inc., to scientists who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of basic and tumor immunology and whose work has deepened our understanding of the...
for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology, together with Frederick W. Alt - 2010 Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine
External links
- Rajewsky lab web page
- Nature MedicineNature MedicineNature Medicine is an academic journal publishing research articles, reviews, news and commentaries in the biomedical area, including both basic research and early-phase clinical research. Topics covered include cancer, cardiovascular disease, gene therapy, immunology, vaccines, and neuroscience...
about Klaus Rajewsky