A pioneer in metabolomics: Lothar Willmitzer wins Stifterverband 2015 Science Prize

Plant researcher from Potsdam studied plant metabolic pathways and went on to further develop his findings in successful spin-off companies

June 16, 2015
Jamie Oliver would never have become as famous without the help of vegetables. Plants and their compounds are a crucial factor when it comes to the taste of food. Lothar Willmitzer has devoted his research to the enormous variety of these plant compounds. The scientist from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm has dedicated himself to researching plant metabolism and is one of the founding fathers of the research field known as metabolomics. Together with the Max Planck Society, the Stifterverband business sector initiative for the promotion of the sciences and humanities in Germany has awarded him with the Stifterverbandpreis 2015 Science Prize. The award endowed with 50,000 euros. Willmitzer has not only been responsible for major advances in basic research, he has also established several spin-off companies, which are successfully further developing his findings. The aim of the spin-offs is to develop crops with better characteristics, for example more nutrients or higher yields.

One of the topics on which Willmitzer focussed in the early stages of his career was the formation and storage of carbohydrates. He studied the enzymes and associated genes that influence the development of starch. He was one of the first scientists to use genetic technology to study the biochemistry and physiology of plants. With the help of this technology, he switched individual genes off and observed the effect on biochemical processes in the cells. The insights he gained from this research formed the basis for his first spin-off: PlantTec, which was established in Potsdam-Hermanswerder in 1996, transferred the results of this work from basic research into practice. The biotech start-up concentrated on the development of genetically modified potatoes, corn and cereals with a higher starch content. The commercially successful company with its 70-plus workforce merged with the plant division of Bayer CropScience, Leverkusen, in 2010.

Following the establishment of PlantTec, Willmitzer turned his attention to a new field, the study of plant metabolic products. Once again, he made use of genetically modified plants and analyzed the influence of genes on plant metabolism. However, it was not possible for him to study the vast number of different plant compounds using traditional biochemical analyses. For this reason, he set his sights on mass spectrometry, a new technology at the time. Using this method, he was able to differentiate many compounds simultaneously based on their molecular weight. He thereby studied plants in which individual genes had been switched off, and identified the metabolic products for which these genes are responsible. Based on this work, Willmitzer established the research field of metabolomics.

Through the establishment of another spin-off, he sought to make use of the findings from this research. The Max Planck spin-off “metanomics” systematically analyzes the genome of the thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana and is building a database of all of its metabolites. The aim is to use this knowledge to improve the characteristics of crops like corn, rice, soya and cotton. metanomics is now owned by BASF and has around 160 employees.

Furthermore, Willmitzer established two other start-ups: Metasysx provides metabolomics data and their analysis and Targenomix studies the effect of small molecules on plant cells.

Over the years, Willmitzer not only obtained outstanding results for basic research but also ensured that this knowledge is used in practical applications. The four companies founded by him, which have combined workforce of over 220, are testimony to this.

Lothar Willmitzer studied chemistry at the Technische Universität Braunschweig and initially carried out research at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. As Director at the Institut für Genbiologische Forschung Berlin and a professor at the Freie Universität Berlin he researched starch formation. In 1993 he became Founding Director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Biology in Potsdam-Golm and has since primarily devoted his work to the study of plant metabolism.

 

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