Heiner Niemann

Heiner Niemann (born January 7, 1953 in Münster ) is a German veterinarian and animal breeding scientist . Since 2008, he has headed the Institute for Farm Animal Genetics in Mariensee of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute for Animal Health. Heiner Niemann has been retired since September 1, 2018, but continues to work as an honorary professor at the Hannover Medical School.

Live and act

Heiner Niemann studied veterinary medicine from 1973 to 1978 at the University of Veterinary Medicine (TiHo) in Hanover , including one semester at the Ecole Nationale Vetèrinaire in Toulouse (France). This was followed by a two-year position as a doctoral student at the Institute for Animal Breeding and Animal Behavior Mariensee of the Federal Research Center for Agriculture (FAL) in Braunschweig-Völkenrode with a doctorate in Dr. med. vet. at the TiHo Hannover. From 1980 he then worked as a scientist at the institute in Mariensee. In 1984 he completed his training as a specialist veterinarian for reproductive medicine with further training qualifications. In 1985/86 he undertook a research stay at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at A&M University, College Station Texas , and in 1987 he was a consultant for a project on the cryopreservation of angora goat embryos in New Zealand .

In the same year, Niemann became head of the biotechnology research department at his institute. In 1989 he completed his habilitation at the TiHo Hanover in the field of reproductive medicine, was appointed as a private lecturer and in 1994 as an adjunct professor for reproductive biology at the TiHo Hanover. He graduated as a specialist veterinarian for genetic engineering and molecular genetics with further training qualifications in 2001. He did not accept four appointments as a university lecturer at universities in Australia , Denmark and the Netherlands . From 2004 to 2007 he was adjunct professor at Monash University in Melbourne , Australia, and since 2007 he has been visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Technologies at Kinki University in Wakayama , Japan.

From 2008 to 2018, Niemann headed the facility in Mariensee as an institute for farm animal genetics with the new assignment to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (LFI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health on Riems, and was also head of the biotechnology research area. In 2009 he became a co-opted member of the teaching staff of the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and in 2016 he was appointed honorary professor.

Appreciation

Heiner Niemann conducts research in the field of biotechnology in farm animals. He initially dealt with embryo transfer, especially in cattle and pigs, as well as the cryopreservation of bovine embryos. In addition, he and his working group have done pioneering work in various sub-aspects of biotechnology in farm animals. These include the elucidation of expression patterns in embryos, the breeding of transgenic pigs for xenotransplantation, somatic nuclear transfers in cattle and pigs and the discovery of culture conditions that allow the enrichment of pluripotent cells from primary somatic cell cultures. His working group is one of the leading international groups in these fields. He wrote more than 600 scientific publications (up to 2017), 400 of them in internationally recognized (peer-reviewed) journals, supervised 80 dissertations and three habilitation theses and gave more than 700 lectures at home and abroad, including 250 as an invited speaker (“ invited speaker ”) at important scientific meetings. He was involved in many expert committees for evaluating the safety of cloned animals or transgenic animals on a national and international level.

Honorary positions (selection)

He was or is an active member of many national and international scientific societies, review committees and joint projects. ̈

• 1988–1990, 1992–1996 board member of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS)
• 1988 President of the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS),
• 1989–2000 National Consultant of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for Biotechnology in Animals
• 1993–2017 Member of the Standing Committee of the International Conference on Pig Reproduction (ICPR)
• 1998–2003 member of the “Xenotransplantation” commission of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Medical Association
• 1998–2005, since 2012 member of the science. Advisory board of the German Primate Center (DPZ) in Göttingen
• 2000–2004–2016 member and chairman of the “Animal Breeding and Biotechnology” committee of the German Veterinary Association
• since 2000 chairman of the examination board of the TÄK Lower Saxony for recognition as a specialist veterinarian for molecular genetics and genetic engineering
• 2007 Expert group of the World Health Organization, Geneva, (WHO) on the use of transgenic animals
• 2007/2008/2012 Expert group of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the safety of products from cloned or transgenic animals
• since 2007 chairman of the advisory board of the German Society for Breeding Science (DGfZ)
• Since 1999 membership in 14 national and transnational collaborative projects (including research into embryology and the use of xenotransplantation)

honors and awards

• 1987 Biotechnology Award of the Hans Wilhelm Schaumann Foundation, Hamburg
• 2006 Winner of the concept phase of the Life Sciences start-up initiative
• 2007 Federation Fellowship of the Australian Research Council (ARC)
• 2008 member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• 2012 Martin-Lerche Research Award of the German Veterinary Medicine. Society (DVG)
• 2016 Badge of Honor of the Federal Veterinary Association for great commitment to the veterinary profession
• 2017 Pioneer Award from the International Embryo Technology Society (IETS)
• 2017 Hermann von Nathusius Medal of the German Society for Breeding Science

Publications (selection)

• The fluorescence microscopic assessment of the development potential of the early embryonic stages of rabbits and cattle using the FDA and DAPI test. Dissertation. TiHo Hanover, 1980.
• with Andrea Lucas-Hahn and Diedrich Smidt: Gene transfer in farm animals: a literature review taking into account potential areas of application, the risk-benefit ratio and the need for research funding. Institute for Animal Breeding and Animal Behavior Mariensee of the FAL Neustadt a. Rübenberge, 1988.
• Biotechnological studies on pre-implantation embryos from cattle and pigs. Enke, Stuttgart 1989. (also Habil.-Schr.TiHo Hannover, 1989)
• Potential and limitations of biotechnology in livestock production in developing countries. Part 1: Animal reproduction and breeding: proceedings of a symposium held at the Institute for Animal Breeding and Animal Behavior (FAL) Mariensee, Germany, May 1992.
• With Burkhard Meinecke: Embryo transfer and associated biotechnology in farm animals. Enke, Stuttgart 1993
• with W. Kues, A. Lucas-Hahn and JW Carnwath: Somatic cloning and epigenetic reprogramming in mammals. In: A. Atala, R. Lanza, JA Thomsen, R. Nerem (Eds.): Principles of regenerative medicine. Elsevier, 2009, ISBN 978-0-12-381422-7 , pp. 129-158.
• Epigenetics of cloned embryos and offspring. In: J. Cibelli, J. Gurdon, I. Wilmut, R. Jaenisch, R. Lanza, MD West, K. Campbell (Eds.): Principles of Cloning. 2nd Edition. Academic Press, Elsevier, Amsterdam 2014, ISBN 978-0-12-386541-0 , pp. 453-461.

Web links

• Heiner Niemann on the DGfZ website
• Member entry by Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann at the Leopoldina (https://www.leopoldina.org/de/miglieder/lösungen/member/1324/) (with picture and CV) at the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, accessed on February 10, 2018

literature

• Recipient of the 2017 IETS Pioneer Award. Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann. In: Reproduction, Fertility and Development. Volume 29, No. 1, 2017, doi : 10.1071 / RDv29n1_PA
• Otto-Werner Marquardt : Award of the Hermann von Nathusius Medal to Prof. Dr. med. vet. habil. Heiner Niemann, Mariensee. In: Breeding Science. 90, H. 1, 2018, pp. 1–3.
• Curriculum Vitae Professor Heiner Niemann. In: Leopoldina. National Academy of Sciences viewed on February 4, 2018.
• Heiner Niemann receives the Hermann von Nathusius Medal. In: Communications from the Leopoldina Halle / Saale .
• Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann honored with the Hermann von Nathusius Medal. In: Notice from DGfZ. 29th September 2017.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann honored with the Hermann von Nathusius Medal
2. ↑ Heiner Niemann receives the Hermann von Nathusius Medal. In: Communications from the Leopoldina Halle / Saale
3. ^ Hermann von Nathusius Medal of the DGfZ
4. ↑ Prof. Dr. Heiner Niemann honored with the Hermann von Nathusius Medal of the DGfZ