Konrad Beyreuther (born 14 May 1941) is a German molecular biologist and chemist known for his work on

neurodegenerative disease A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

Life

Konrad Bayreuther was the son of an evangelical pastor. He studied chemistry at the Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. He wrote his PhD Thesis at the Max-Planck Institut für Biochemie in Munich. Until 1978 he was a scientific employee at the Institut for genetics at the university of Cologne. Until 1987 he was a professor at the university of Cologne. From 1987 onwards he has held various positions at the University of Heidelberg.

Works

Beyreuther's work with Colin L. Masters implicated

amyloid precursor protein Amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) is an integral membrane protein expressed in many tissues and concentrated in the synapses of neurons. It functions as a cell surface receptor and has been implicated as a regulator of synapse format ...

(APP) as a possible precursor of Alzheimer's disease. Together with British researchers, he discovered the pathogenic prion that causes

BSE BSE may refer to: Medicine * Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, a neurodegenerative disease of cattle * Breast self-examination Stock exchanges * Bahrain Stock Exchange, Bahrain * Baku Stock Exchange, Azerbaijan * B ...

, also known as mad cow disease, in 1998.

Awards

Bayreuther received the in 1988 and the Feldberg Award in 1989. In 1990, he won the Metlife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease with Robert D. Terry and was awarded the

Potamkin Prize The Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick's, Alzheimer's, and Related Diseases was established in 1988 and is sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology. The prize is funded through the philanthropy of the Potamkin Foundation. The prize is awarded ...

jointly with Masters. Beyreuther and Masters both received in 1991, and shared the in 1995. In 1997 they were awarded the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine together with James F. Gusella for contributions to the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Bayreuther has been elected to the

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founde ...

, the Heidelberg Academy for Sciences and Humanities, and the

Göttingen Academy of Sciences Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The or ...

. He is a recipient of the

Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg (german: link=no, Verdienstorden des Landes Baden-Württemberg) is the highest award of the German State of Baden-Württemberg. Established 26 November 1974, it was originally called the Medal of Merit of Bad ...

and the Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

References

1941 births German molecular biologists 20th-century German chemists Alzheimer's disease researchers Biography articles needing translation from German Wikipedia Living people Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities {{Germany-scientist-stub