Peter Beyer (biologist)

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Peter Beyer (born May 9, 1952 in Hanover ) is a German biologist and has been Professor of Cell Biology (Institute for Biology II) at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg since 2002 . Beyer attracted worldwide attention as a co-inventor of Golden Rice , together with Ingo Potrykus from ETH Zurich . Golden Rice is a genetically modified rice that enriches beta-carotene in the endosperm - the edible part of the rice grain.

Life

After attending school and graduating from Hanover , Peter Beyer studied biology ( biochemistry , cell biology , microbiology , macromolecular chemistry ) at the universities of Marburg and Freiburg from 1971 to 1977 . In 1981 he completed his studies with a doctorate in cell biology. From 1982 to 1990 he was a university assistant at the University of Freiburg, and in 2000 he completed his habilitation, with which he received the venia legendi .

Peter Beyer is professor at the Cell Biology Institute (Biology II) of the Center for Applied Biosciences (ZAB) at the University of Freiburg, where, in addition to teaching, he heads a research group in the field of prenyl lipid metabolism, with a focus on the applied aspect of increasing nutritional value of crops in developing countries.

Peter Beyer has been a member of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board since 2001, whose main objective is to introduce Golden Rice to target countries such as India , Philippines , Vietnam , Bangladesh and Nepal . Since 2003 he has been a member of the HarvestPlus Consortium (Nutritional Genomics Section) and since 2005 project leader of the ProVitaMinRice Consortium, part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . In 2002 he received the science and culture award from the European cultural foundation Pro Europa .

Since 2006, Beyer has headed the ProVitaMinRice consortium , which is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative . The international consortium is working on a project called Engineering Rice for High Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E and Enhanced Iron and Zinc Bioavailability , the aim of which is to enrich Golden Rice with other vital micronutrients . The first phase of the project runs from 2005 to 2010 and was awarded $ 11.3 million. Other members of the consortium are Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas), Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (China), the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute (Vietnam), the International Rice Research Institute IRRI (Philippines) and the Philippine rice research institute PhilRice .

In 2006, Beyer was chosen by the readers of the science magazine Nature Biotechnology, together with Ingo Potrykus, to mark the 10th anniversary of the magazine as one of the world's most respected personalities in the fields of agricultural, environmental and industrial biotechnology .

Publications

  • Patent EP1159428 : Method for improving the agronomic and nutritional value of plants. Registered on March 3, 2000 , published on September 27, 2006 , applicant: Syngenta Participations AG, inventor: Peter Beyer, Ingo Potrykus ( Method for improving the agronomic and nutritional value of plants ). ‌
  • with X. Ye, S. Al-Babili, A. Klöti, J. Zhang, P. Lucca and I. Potrykus: Engineering the provitamin A (beta-carotene) biosynthetic pathway into (carotenoid-free) rice endosperm. In: Science . 287, 2000, pp. 303-305. ( PDF )
  • with S. Al-Babili: Golden Rice - five years on the road - five years to go? In: Trends in Plant Science. December 2005, pp. 565-573. doi: 10.1016 / j.tplants.2005.10.006

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  • JA Paine, CA Shipton, S. Chaggar, RM Howells, MJ Kennedy, G. Vernon, SY Wright, E. Hinchliffe, JL Adams, AL Silverstone, R. Drake: Improving the nutritional value of Golden Rice through increased pro-vitamin A. content. In: Nature Biotechnology . 23/2005, pp. 482-487. doi: 10.1038 / nbt1082
  • AJ Stein, HP Sachdev, M. Qaim: Potential impact and cost-effectiveness of Golden Rice. In: Nat Biotechnol. 24, 2006, pp. 1200-1201.
  • P. Nestel, R. Nalubola: As little as one teaspoon of dietary fat in a meal enhances the absorption of β-carotene. ( Memento from March 20, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  • G. Tang, J. Qin, MA Grusak, R. Russell: Quantitative determinations of vitamin A value of Golden Rice given as single or multiple meals. Micronutrient Forum, Istanbul, Turkey, April 16-18, 2007.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Beyer, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German biologist
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Hanover , Germany