Matthias Hentze
Encyclopedia
Matthias W. Hentze is a German scientist.
, Germany, and at the Medical Schools of Southampton
, Oxford
, Glasgow
, and Cambridge
, UK. In 1984 he obtained the German medical board certification and received his M.D.
from the University of Münster for his work on lysosomal enzyme biogenesis and transport in the laboratory of Kurt von Figura. In 1990, he obtained his Habilitation
at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Hentze is married and has three daughters. He regularly participates in city marathons of the World Marathon Majors series (New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin) and is a qualified member of the Berlin Marathon
Jubilee Club.
,
Bethesda, Maryland
, USA as a postdoctoral fellow supported by a fellow
ship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
. In 1987, Hentze and his colleagues discovered iron-responsive elements (IRE), showing for the first time gene regulation at the translational level in animal cells. In 1989, he joined the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
in Heidelberg
as a group leader. He served as Dean of the EMBL International Ph.D.
Programme from 1996 until 2005 when he became Associate Director of the EMBL. In the same year, he became Professor
for Molecular Medicine
at the University of Heidelberg.
Together with Andreas Kulozik of the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, Hentze co-founded the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU) (2002) and serves as its Co-Director. As the first institutional partnership between the EMBL and a national institution, the MMPU pioneers interdisciplinary research at the interface between molecular biology and clinical medicine. Hentze is also an Honorary Faculty Member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney
, Australia
.
Hentze’s research team studies translational control by regulatory factors (RNA-binding proteins, microRNAs), which is now recognized to play important roles in development, central nervous system function, cancer
, and many other diseases. Within the MMPU, Hentze contributes to investigations into diseases of RNA metabolism, especially on nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and 3’end formation. Recently, Hentze proposed the concept of "REM networks", which posits that cellular metabolism and gene expression are connected via "RNA-binding" enzymes. (Hentze and Preiss, 2010)
Hentze is a co-founder of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, California
.
, and the European Molecular Biology Organization
(EMBO). He has received numerous awards and honorary lectureships, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
(2000), the Lautenschlaeger Research Prize of Heidelberg University (2007) and the Princesses' Lecture of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (2010). Hentze is a member of national and international academic societies, including the RNA Society, the BioIron Society (which he co-founded), and the German Gesellschaft fuer Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (GBM).
(2000) and EMBO Molecular Medicine (2009) and is a member of the editorial boards of Molecular Cell, RNA, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Journal of Molecular Medicine, and EMBO Molecular Medicine. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Madrid
, Spain
), the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin
, Germany
), the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (Freiburg
, Germany), and the Queen's University Belfast Medical School (Belfast
, UK).
Of the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit:
Biography
Hentze obtained his Abitur from the Ratsgymnasium in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in 1978. He studied medicine at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in MünsterMünster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Germany, and at the Medical Schools of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK. In 1984 he obtained the German medical board certification and received his M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
from the University of Münster for his work on lysosomal enzyme biogenesis and transport in the laboratory of Kurt von Figura. In 1990, he obtained his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Hentze is married and has three daughters. He regularly participates in city marathons of the World Marathon Majors series (New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin) and is a qualified member of the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
Jubilee Club.
Professional career
In 1985, after a brief residency in internal medicine, Hentze joined the laboratory of Richard D. Klausner at the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
,
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, USA as a postdoctoral fellow supported by a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
. In 1987, Hentze and his colleagues discovered iron-responsive elements (IRE), showing for the first time gene regulation at the translational level in animal cells. In 1989, he joined 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...
in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
as a group leader. He served as Dean of the EMBL International Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
Programme from 1996 until 2005 when he became Associate Director of the EMBL. In the same year, he became Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
for Molecular Medicine
Molecular medicine
Molecular medicine is a broad field, where physical, chemical, biological and medical techniques are used to describe molecular structures and mechanisms, identify fundamental molecular and genetic errors of disease, and to develop molecular interventions to correct them...
at the University of Heidelberg.
Together with Andreas Kulozik of the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University, Hentze co-founded the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU) (2002) and serves as its Co-Director. As the first institutional partnership between the EMBL and a national institution, the MMPU pioneers interdisciplinary research at the interface between molecular biology and clinical medicine. Hentze is also an Honorary Faculty Member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Hentze’s research team studies translational control by regulatory factors (RNA-binding proteins, microRNAs), which is now recognized to play important roles in development, central nervous system function, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and many other diseases. Within the MMPU, Hentze contributes to investigations into diseases of RNA metabolism, especially on nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and 3’end formation. Recently, Hentze proposed the concept of "REM networks", which posits that cellular metabolism and gene expression are connected via "RNA-binding" enzymes. (Hentze and Preiss, 2010)
Hentze is a co-founder of Anadys Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
.
Honors, awards and society memberships
Hentze is an elected member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the European Academy of SciencesEuropean Academy of Sciences
The European Academy of Sciences has as mission to promote excellence in science and technology and their essential roles in fostering social and economic development and progress. It is registered in and operates under rules and regulations of Belgium. The European Academy of Sciences is an...
, and the European Molecular Biology Organization
European Molecular Biology Organization
EMBO stands for excellence in the life sciences. The EMBO mission is to enable the best science by supporting talented researchers, stimulating scientific exchange and advancing policies for a world-class European research environment....
(EMBO). He has received numerous awards and honorary lectureships, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a research prize awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft every year since 1985 to scientists working in Germany. This highest German research prize consists of a research grant of 2.5 million euro, to be used within seven years...
(2000), the Lautenschlaeger Research Prize of Heidelberg University (2007) and the Princesses' Lecture of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (2010). Hentze is a member of national and international academic societies, including the RNA Society, the BioIron Society (which he co-founded), and the German Gesellschaft fuer Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (GBM).
Public service
Hentze serves in numerous international advisory functions. He has helped to launch the journals EMBO ReportsEMBO Reports
EMBO Reports is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering topics related to biology at a molecular level. It publishes primary research papers, reviews and essays and opinion. It also features commentaries on the social impact of advances in the life sciences and the converse influence of society...
(2000) and EMBO Molecular Medicine (2009) and is a member of the editorial boards of Molecular Cell, RNA, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, Journal of Molecular Medicine, and EMBO Molecular Medicine. He is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
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...
), the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Germany), and the Queen's University Belfast Medical School (Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, UK).
Selected publications
Hentze has co-authored textbooks in the field of Molecular Medicine and has contributed over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications, includingExternal links
At the European Molecular Biology Laboratory:Of the Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit: