Prof. Konrad Sandhoff, Universität Bonn

From the big bang to the development of consciousness-self-organization of matter

Konrad Sandhoff is the discoverer of Sandhoff-Jatzkewitz disease, a genetic disease caused by loss of the ability to degrade gangliosides. In addition to helping understand human sphingolipid storage disease, he has made major contributions to knowledge about the chemistry, enzymology, molecular and cell biology of sphingolipids, including the characterization of knock-out mice. Since 1979, he has been professor of biochemistry in the Kekulé-Institut für Organische Chemie und Biochemie at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, where he has also served as dean, and deputy dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Professor Sandhoff has received numerous scientific awards, among them the Carl-Duisberg Medal from the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (1976), the Heinrich-Wieland-Preis (1979), the Richard-Kuhn-Medal from the der Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (1992), the K.J. Zülch-Preis of Gertrud Reemtsma from the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (1998, with Wilhelm Stoffel), the Max-Planck-Forschungspreis (1999), and the Mendel Medal from the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina for his research on inheritable neurological metabolic diseases (2001). Since 1992, Professor Sandhoff has been an Honorary Member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Jointly sponsored by the Schools of Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry and FAME. If you are interested in meeting with Professor Sandhoff during his visit on June 2, contact Al Merrill.