Prof. Dr. Jens Reich

Kurzbiografie:

• 1939 in Göttingen geboren, Kindheit in Halberstadt, Studium der Medizin in Berlin;
• Arzt in Halberstadt, Wissenschaftler an der Universität Jena,
• 1968-90 Mitarbeiter am Institut für Molekularbiologie der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin-Buch;
• 1980 Professor für Biomathematik, Mitarbeiter im Kreis "Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung“,
• 1989 Mitbegründer des Neuen Forum,
• 1990 Volkskammerabgeordneter für das Neue Forum (Bündnis 90/Grüne),
• Gastprofessuren am Center for European Studies der Harvard University und am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, 
• von 1992 bis zu seiner Emeritierung 2004 Leiter der Arbeitsgruppe Bioinformatik am Max-Delbrück-Centrum
• von 1998 bis 2004 Professor für Bioinformatik an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin;
• übernimmt 2004 den neuen ehrenamtlichen Posten des Charité-Ombudsmannes
• seit 2001 Mitglied und von 2005 – 2008 stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Nationalen Ethikrats. 

Zahlreiche Preise und Auszeichnungen

Publikationen u.a.:

Es wird ein Mensch gemacht. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Gentechnik, 2003;

Teufelsfragen. Ethische Konflikte in der Biomedizin, Hörbuch, Köln 2005

English Version:

Prof. Dr. Jens Reich

General and Scientific Education,

Professional Curriculum

1952 Abitur (high-school diploma) in Halberstadt, East Germany

1962 State diploma from Humboldt University, Berlin (Charité Medical Faculty)

1962 - 1964 general practitioner in Halberstadt

1964 - 1968 biochemical institute at medical faculty of Friedrich-Schiller Univeristy in Jena (Prof. Frunder)

1968 - 1991 research group leader (mathematical modelling of metabolism) at the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Academy of Sciences of East Germany

1992 - 2005 group leader (bioinformatics) at Max Delbrück Center

1998 - 2004 University Professor of Bioinformatics at Medical Faculty (Charité) of Humboldt University, Berlin

Sabbatical Periods Including Political Activity

I found myself in the “New Forum” group that was instrumental in the 1989 political transformation and German unification, but resigned afterwards from political activity, in part by disappointment, in part because I wanted to save our team when MDC was founded after the end of East Germany. At present, my political engagement is confined to societal benefits and dangers of genome medicine, which I deem both relevant. I am trying to help moderating and focussing the rather emotional public debate in Germany.

1973/74 long-term stay at the Institute of Biophysics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Pushchino on Oka (collaboration with Prof. Selkov)

1979/80 second long-term stay in Pushchino

1989/90 interruption of scientific career as co-founder of New Forum Political Movement, member of parlament until German unification in 1991

1991 Visiting professor at Harvard University, Center for European Studies

1992 Visiting professor at DKFZ Heidelberg (German Center of Cancer Research, work on sequence analysis and pertinent software

1994 Candidate for the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany

2001 Member of National Ethics Council of Germany

Academic Degrees and Appointments

1964 Degree of Dr. medicinae at Humboldt University

1976 Degree of Dr. med. sc. (equivalent to doctor habilitatus) at Academy of Science of East Germany

1979 Professor of Bioinformatics

1998 - 2004 Professor (C4) at Charité Medical Faculty of Humboldt University, Berlin

Scientific Awards

1976 Leibniz Medal of Academy of Sciences of East Germany

1983 Rudolf Virchow Award for Achievements in Medical Science

1991 Theodor-Heuss Award

1993 Anna-Krüger Literature Award

1996 Carl Gustav Carus Honorary Medal of the Society of German Naturalists and Physicians

2000 National Award of the Deutsche Nationalstiftung
 

Selected List of Publications

Bauer, D., Müller, H., Reich, J., Riedel, H., Ahrenkiel, V., Warthoe, P. and Strauss, M.: Identification of differentially expressed mRNA species by an improved display technique (DDRT-PCR). Nucleic Acids Res. 21 (1993) 4272-4280

• Hanke, J., Brett, D., Zastrow, I., Aydin, A., Delbrück, S., Lehmann, G., Luft, F., Reich, J.G. and Bork, P.: Alternative splicing of human genes more the rule than the exception? Trends Genet. 15,10 (1999) 389-390
• Hanke, J., Lehmann, G., Bork, P. and Reich, J.G.:Associative database of protein sequences. Bioinformatics 15,9 (1999) 741-748
• Reich, J.G.: View from the East. Science 286 (1999) 1087-1087
• Sunyaev, S., Hanke, J., Brett, D., Aydin, A., Zastrow, I., Lathe, W., Bork, P. and Reich, J.G.: Individual variation in protein-coding sequences of human genome. Adv. Prot. Chem. 54 (2000) 409-437
• Brett, D., Pospisil, H., Valcárcel, J., Reich, J. and Bork, P.: Alternative splicing and genome complexity. Nature Genetics 30 (2002) 29-30
• Reich, J.G.: Embryonic stem cells - The Debate in Germany. Science 296 (2002) 269
  
  Scientific Monographs (including contributions)
• Reich, J.G.: Es wird ein Mensch gemacht. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Gentechnik. Rowohlt-Verlag, Berlin, 2003