Hans Günter Gassen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hans Günter Gassen

Hans Günter Gassen (born April 11, 1938 in Nieder-Weisel ) is a German biochemist . From 1973 to March 31, 2004 he was a professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt . His areas of expertise are biochemistry and biotechnology . He has been retired since 2004.

Life

Hans Günter Gassen began studying chemistry in 1958 at the Philipps University in Marburg and graduated in 1963 with a degree in chemistry . From 1963 to 1965 he experimented with Professor Herbert Witzel on a protein chemical topic for his dissertation . The title of his dissertation is: "The function of the pyrimidine base in the ribonuclease reaction". The one-year post-doctoral period in Herbert Witzel’s laboratory in Marburg was followed by a research stay funded by the Max Kade Foundation with Waldo E. Cohn at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge (Tennessee) , USA , from 1967 to 1969 . Main focus was the sequencing of phenylalanine - tRNA from Escherichia coli .

From 1969 Gassen worked as a scientific assistant to Heinrich Matthaei at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine in Göttingen on bacterial protein biosynthesis . He continued this research from 1972 as head of a working group at the Institute for Biochemistry at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster . In 1972 Gassen completed his habilitation there in biochemistry, received the Venia Legendi for this subject and was appointed lecturer . He was appointed to an H4 professorship in the chemistry department, specializing in biochemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt, in 1973. From then on, Gassen concentrated on developing the newly established department into an internationally recognized center for biochemistry and biotechnology, with around 130 at last Employees.

Research and other activities

Hans Günter Gassen's research topics were in particular the mechanisms of gene-controlled protein synthesis , the genetic engineering production of pharmaceuticals and - since 2000 - mechanisms of substance transport across the blood-brain barrier .

In 1974 Gassen was granted the first patent for the production of 1-acetyl-2.3.5-benzoyl-D-ribose. Research in the field of synthetic nucleic acid chemistry was also funded by the DFG and BMBF . From 1986 to 1992 he was head of the “Applied Genetic Engineering” research group, in collaboration with the Grünenthal , Merck and Röhm companies .

From 1986 to 1987 Gassen was dean of the chemistry department and from 1992 to 1998 chairman of the biochemistry department of the Society of German Chemists . From 1998 to 2005 he was the biotechnology representative of the Hessian state government . In 1993 he was one of the founders of the biotechnology company BRAIN , later one of the co-founders of genius - Wissenschaft und kommunikation (1998), N-Zyme BioTec (1999), Esplora (2000) and Zedira (2007).

Gassen was co-founder and until 2008 editor of the monthly Biotechnology Journal for the publishing house Wiley-VCh .

Voluntary functions

Hans Günter Gassen is a member of the research and ethics committee of the Federal CDU , member of the biotechnology advisory board of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and liaison professor of the KAS for students of the TU Darmstadt. He is also a Scientific Advisory Board at the Federation for Food Law and Food Science and a Scientific Advisory Board for New Foods at the Federal Institute for Consumer Health Protection and Veterinary Medicine . He is a member of the Senate Commission of the German Research Foundation on the subject of the health safety of food , advisory board for biotechnology of the Federal Research Institute Karlsruhe and advisory board in the association of young biotech entrepreneurs.

At times Gassen was a member of the city ​​council in Darmstadt.

Fonts (selection)

  • with Anne Lang: Chemical and Enzymatic Synthesis of Gene Fragments. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1982.
  • with Andrea Martin and Gabriele Sachse: The stuff genes are made of. Pictures and explanations about genetic engineering. J. Schweitzer Verlag, Munich 1990.
  • Genetic engineering - the profit for the multinationals, the risk for the citizens. In: Roland Schaeffer et al. (Ed.): Can the technical-scientific future still be democratically manageable? Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin 1990.
  • with Michael Kemme: Genetic engineering - the growth industry of the future. Fischer paperback, Frankfurt 1996.
  • with Sabine Minol: genetic engineering. Introduction to principles and methods. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart 1996.
  • with A. Frey: The chemical principles of life. In: Wilhelm Seyfert et al .: Textbook of Genetics. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1998.
  • The role of biology in future industrial production: genetic engineering and bionics as pioneers. Catalog for the exhibition Genwelten in the art and exhibition hall of the FRG, 1998.
  • Genetic Engineering in Agriculture and Food Production - Opportunities and Risks. In: Hartmut Dunkelberg (Ed.): Food through genetic engineering? Haag and Herchen, Frankfurt am Main 1999.
  • with Gangolf Schrimpf: genetic engineering methods, a collection of instructions for the molecular biological laboratory. Spektrum Verlag, Heidelberg 1999.
  • with Sabine Minol: Unknown being, the brain. Media Team, Darmstadt 2004.
  • with Sabine Minol: Die Menschen Macher: Longing for immortality. Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 2006.
  • Your brain: thinking, feeling, acting. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2008.
  • Your brain: thinking, feeling, acting. World Heritage Edition, Völklinger Hütte, 2009.
  • Thoughtful eating as brain care. In: Esther V. Schärer-Züblin (Ed.): Research and nutrition - a dialogue. Wiley-Blackwell, Weinheim 2009.
  • Perfect and immortal - how far do we want to go. In: Volker Gerhardt and Dietmar Schulte (eds.): Fascination Life. Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum, Wilhelm Fink, Munich 2010.
  • The fourth quarter: how and why our bodies change with age. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2011.
  • Brain research - a look behind the skull In: Alfred Wieczorek and Wilfried Rosendahl (eds.): Head and skull in the cultural history of man. Curt Engelhorn Foundation, Mannheim 2011.
  • Our Murderous Legacy - How Evil Got Into Our Heads. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2013.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Gassen, Hans Günter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German biochemist and biotechnologist
DATE OF BIRTH April 11, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Nieder-Weisel