Previous award winners
The Otto Warburg Medal was awarded for the first time on 8th October, 1963 on the occasion of the 80th birthday of Otto Warburg. It honours scientists who have contributed important work in the field of biological chemistry. The prize is awarded annually as a bronze medal on the occasion of a GBM meeting.
Emmanuelle Charpentier (* 1968)
Nikolaus Pfanner (* 1956)
Rudolf Jaenisch (* 1942)
Randy Schekman (* 1948)
Alexander Varshavsky (* 1946)
Peter Walter (* 1954)
Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, focuses his research on the exploration of the mechanisms of protein folding, the transport of proteins to their target destinations within the cell, the regulation of size and number of cell organelles and the fusion of cell membranes. To be able to follow their function within the cell, proteins must be folded correctly and located in the right place. Walter explored the molecular mechanisms of these processes and made numerous outstanding discoveries. During his graduate studies at Rockefeller University in New York City, he discovered the Signal Recognition Particle (SRP), a ribonucleo-protein complex that is involved in the protein transport of eukaryotes to the endoplasmic reticulum and of prokaryotes to the plasma membrane. Since the 1990s, Walter’s research fundamentally contributed to the discovery and the exploration of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR). UPR is a cellular reaction to stress. This stress response is preserved, meaning it can be found in different groups of organisms. Its functions are either the recovery of the normal protein function in a cell, or, if normal function cannot be recovered, targeted apoptosis in the dieback of cells. Additionally, Walter is recognized as part of the team that discovered the serin-threonin-kinase and the endoribonuclease Ire 1 that plays a crucial role in terms of the UPR. Among other projects he also investigates how Ire 1 recognizes incorrectly folded proteins.
Ari Helenius (* 1944)
Professor at the ETH Zurich, explored how viruses change the programming of their host cells to their own benefit. In doing so he also discovered basic principles of biological “quality control” for the folding and assembly of protein molecules. Viruses proliferate by entering living cells and replicating there – generally to the disadvantage of the infected cell. Professor Ari Helenius explored the molecular processes of how influenza viruses manipulate their host cells, in particular by studying the synthesis and folding of Hemagglutinin. This protein molecule is being built into the virus membrane. Helenius discovered that the attacked cell not only produces more Hemagglutinin and transports it to the membrane surface – it also checks it with a quality control system, which is actually in place for normal host cell proteins. Only functional proteins that are folded accurately and have the right structure will be processed by this biochemical “sorting -machine”. Special enzymes recognize misfolded proteins and then a sugar molecule is added as an attachment to them. Proteins having this marker cannot leave the endoplasmic reticulum, the location where they have been assembled. This testing of newly synthesized proteins is of vital importance: a faulty molecular quality control can be the cause for different diseases like cystic fibrosis and diabetes. The concepts developed by Ari Helenius are now textbook knowledge.
Franz-Ulrich Hartl (*1957)
Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, created the cornerstone for an important field of biological and medical research. He showed that the “molecular chaperones”, a class of specialized molecules present in every cell, are necessary for proteins to fold correctly. They guide proteins to form their proper structures efficiently by preventing them from going off-path and aggregate. In case of malfunctions during the protein folding severe neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s chorea or Parkinson’s disease can be the result. A decline in the capacity of cells to fold their proteins efficiently is observed during aging and may facilitate the manifestation of neurodegenerative diseases.
Susan Lindquist (*1949)
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA has been fascinated by how cells defend themselves against stress phenomena and manage to maintain their proteins in a properly folded and biologically active state. She found that the cellular stress response, the defence mechanism against misfolded proteins, is critical in deciding whether a cell survives under conditions that lead to increased production of incorrect proteins. This is most relevant in the so-called protein folding diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkisnon’s disease, and also the prion diseases, a kind of infectious protein misfolding process that causes mad cow disease (BSE) and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. In all these, presently incurable, neurodegenerative diseases, certain proteins lose their proper shape and clump together as useless aggregates that eventually kill the affected cells.
Robert A. Weinberg (*1942)
of Massachussetts Institute for Technlogy (MIT) is recognised as one of the discoverers of the tumor genes, which are playing a role in the genesis of cancer. By means of several mutations he succeeded in producing artificial cancer cells, which was the basis of important progress in the research of carcinogenesis and tumor development.
Konrad Sandhoff (*1938)
Professor for Biological Chemistry at Bonn University explored the metabolism and the function of a class of fats, the sphingolipides. Sphingolipides are structural membrane elements, in particular of nerve cells, which are forming on the cell surface cell-specific patterns. Sandhoff did not only explore the biological chemistry of these fats but has uncovered also their function up to medicine by exploring the molecular mechanisms of several inherited often deadly ending neuro-degenerative diseases. He also investigated the chemical fundamentals of a series of important physiological functions of the cell membrane: He discovered, for instance, novel glycolipides which prevent the evaporation of water through the skin and, thereby, dehydration of the same.
Axel Ullrich (*1943)
Director at Max-Planck-Institut for Biological Chemistry at Martinsried and Research Director of the Singapore Oncogenome Laboratory, achieved a large number of scientific discoveries which very often resulted in the development of a pharmaceutical preparation. He cloned the gene for the insulin progenitur molecule preproinsulin as the outcome of which the first pharmaceutical active substance was produced by means of gene technology. When he had succeeded for the first time to describe and clone genes which are playing a role in the genesis of breast cancer, it became possible to develop a specific cancer drug on this basis.
Tom Rapoport (*1947)
Professor for Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, was honoured for his ground-breaking work on the transport of proteins across cell membranes. He described highly specialized transport proteins, which sort cell substances - from simple chemical molecules up to highly complex and large proteins - into the cell compartments separated by cell membranes.
Alfred Wittinghofer (*1943)
Director at Max-Planck-Institut for Molecular Physiology at Dortmund, is investigating the structure of proteins and their contribution to the transmission of cellular signals. He succeeded to explore the three-dimensional structure of the ras protein which serves as a messenger for certain cell signals. Mutations in ras can contribute to the permanent emission of these signals and may so contribute to the genesis of cancer. Beyond that Wittinghofer is investigating the structure of various ras-binding and related proteins.
Kurt von Figura
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James Rothmann
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Walter Neupert (*1939)
Cell physiologist at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, is concerned with the synthesis and transport of proteins into the mitochondriae. These organelles are responsible for supplying energy to the cell. There, the proteins are also combined into complicated units. Higly developed structures are needed for transferring in a targeted manner proteins into and out of the mitochondria. One example is a pore-like barrel-shape in the mitochondria wall, described by Neupert, which is made of several proteins. When details of these structures and transport processes are malfunctioning this may result in diseases of the nervous and muscular system.
Kurt Wüthrich (*1938)
is a professor for biological physics at ETH Zürich. Since the sixties of the last century Wüthrich is involved in research work on proteins by means of the nuclear spin resonance spectroscopy (NMR, "Nuclear Magnetic Resonance"): In a magnetic field atomic nuclei react differently to the attraction forces allowing to draw conclusions regarding the structure of molecules. Wüthrich developed a method to resolve the three-dimensional structure of complex biomolecules like proteins and nucleic acids in solution by means of NMR-spectroscopy. In the eighties he published the first NMR structures of proteins at atomic resolution. His work group explored over 70 NMR structures of proteins and nucleic acids. Of great importance was, for instance, the decoding of the structure of prion-proteins, faulty folded proteins, triggering mad cow disease and the Creutzfeld-Jacob sickness. Together with John B. Fenn and Koichi Tanaka Wüthrich was awarded in 2002 the Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Wolfgang Baumeister
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Klaus Weber (*1936)
was for many years the director of the Department of Biological Chemistry and Cell Biology at the Max-Planck-Institut for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. His publication about the migration of proteins in SDS polyacrylamide gels is one of the most highly cited biochemical publications (Weber, K., Osborn, M. (1969) J. Biol. Chem. 244, 4406–4412). To his main merits belong his contribution of important findings in the wide field of biological chemistry and cell biology of the cyto-skeleton in animal cells. Three highly organised fibre systems within the cell are described as cyto-skeleton. These are the thin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. These structures are investigated by Weber's work group by means of biochemical, cell biological, and molecular biological methods, with the main objective to explore the structure, regulation, and evolution of the intermediate filaments. Other important fields of his research work were investigations regarding the importance of the cell nucleus protein for the mitosis and organisation of the nucleus plasma and the posttranslational modifications of the tubules.
Walter Jakob Gehring (*1939)
is a professor for development biology and genetics at the Bio Centre at Basel University and is working on the genetics and development of the fruit fly Drosophila. The focus of his research is on the development of embryonic cells to specialised cells (cell determination) and modifications of certain skin deformations with insects (imaginal disks) which in the course of growth develop into organs. Together with his work group Gehring discovered the homeobox, a strongly conserved DNA section within genes. The homeobox is coding for a protein domain controlling a number of genes which are of importance for the development of multicellular organisms. Gehring's work group identified in addition the PAX6 gene, which is playing a central role in the development of the eye. It is strongly conserved and has the same effect with man as with the (quite differently constructed) drososphila eye.
August Böck (* 1937)
Professor for micro-biology at Munich University, explored the mechanisms and regulation of bacteria protein synthesis, in particular the bio-synthesis of proteins containing selenocysteine. If was found that selenocysteine is a variant, so far unknown, of the amino acid cysteine, which contains instead of a sulphur atom a selenium atom. The exploration of the bio-synthesis of selenocysteine and the identification of the components of the insertion system and their functions supplied information for an enlargement of the genetic code and its evolution.
Helmut Beinert (1913-2007)
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Max Perutz
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Christiane Nüßlein-Volhard (*1942)
of Max-Planck-Institut for Developental Biology at Tübingen explored the embryonic development of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. She identified the genes which control the formation of limbs in the egg. Based on this knowledge she developed the theory according to which certain concentrations of individual substances within the egg determine where the embryo develops towards "top" and "bottom" and "front" and "rear" (gradients theory). Nüßlein-Vollhard was awarded in 1995 (jointly with Eric Wieschaus and Edward B. Lewis) the Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine.
Dieter Oesterhelt (*1940)
Director at Max-Planck-Institut for Biological Chemistry at Martinsried, is investigating and typifying the photosynthesis of halobacteria. In these archaeae (bacteria-like single-celled organisms) living in high salinity environments he discovered the pigment bacteriorhodopsine, which is similar to the human eye pigment rhodopsine. Archaeae are using the pigment for photosynthetic energy generation, but also for a primitive way of seeing.
Horst Witt
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Hans Georg Zachau (*1930)
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Gottfried Schatz (*1936)
Professor for biological chemistry at Basel University, explored many biochemical details of mitochondria formation. These cell organelles control the energy turnover of eukaryotic cells. He was discovered, jointly with other scientists, the mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only via the mother, and defined the protein composition of cytochromoxidase and the interaction of cell nucleus and mitochondriae in the synthesis of this enzym. He also discovered the signals and protein catalysts which enable the import of proteins from the cytoplasma into the mitochondriae.
Shosaku Numa (1929-1992)
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Julius Adler (*1930)
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Peter Starlinger
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Rudolf Thauer (*1939)
the founder of Max-Planck-Institut for Terrestrial Microbiology at Marburg, contributed considerably to the exploration of the biochemistry of methane formation (methanogenesis) by archaeae (bacteria-like single-celled organisms). He discovered several novel biochemical principles in methanogene archaeae, sulphate-reducing bacteria and clostridia and explored them as far as into their molecular detail. This includes unusual nickel-containing enzymes which are playing a central role in methane formation.
Günter Blobel
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Rudolf Rott (1926-2003)
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Martin Klingenberg (*1928)
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Charles Weißmann
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Lothar Jaenicke (*1923)
founder and director of the biochemical institute at Cologne University, concerned himself, amongst other subjects, with the role of tetra-hydrofolic acid in conjunction with the bio-synthesis of the purines and the enzymes required for the C1-metabolism. But primarily he explored - in cooperation with several work groups - the biochemistry of the algae, in particular their attractants (pheromones) and hormones and their importance for proliferation and sexual differentiation, for instance with brown algae and the green algae Volvox und Chlamydomonas.
Wilhelm Stoffel (*1928)
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Robert Huber (*1937)
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Heinz Günter Wittmann (1927-1990)
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Helmut Holzer
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Theodor Bücher (1914–1997)
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Hans Leo Kornberg (*1928)
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Ernst Klenk (1896-1971)
headed the Institute for Physiological Chemistry at Köln University since 1936. His main fields of work were the fats and lipides and their metabolisms. In this sector his main efforts were concentrated on the examination of lipide accumulation diseases. He discovered the cause for the Niemann-Pick lipidosis, a rare fatally ending metabolism disorder. In pathologically modified nerve cells he identified a new group of cell wall elements which he named gangliosides. Besides that he was engaged with work on glycoproteins and recognised their biological importance as receptors for viruses. In addition, the results of this research work constituted an important basis for rheumatoid research. For several years Klenk was vice president and president of the Gesellschaft für Biologische Chemie, known today as GBM. The Warburg Medal was awarded to him a short time before he died (29.12.1971).
Hans Adolf Krebs & Carl Martius
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Michael Sela
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Kurt Mothes (1900-1983)
established the first chair for biological chemistry of the plants (1963 at Halle University). He worked on the detoxification, accumulation and transport of organic nitrogen compounds in plants, investigated the physiology and biochemistry of plant alkaloids and discovered the effects of plant hormones. As the President of Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina) he engaged himself in the development of the relations between Eastern and Western Germany.
Feodor Lynen (1911-1979)
was the first holder of a chair for biological chemistry in Germany (1947 at Munich University). Of his manifold work on metabolism the investigation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism and the isolation of the activated fatty acid must be mentioned in particular, because these formed the basis for research on metabolism disorders like diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Lynen was awarded in 1964 (jointly with Konrad E. Bloch) the Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine.