NAR Founding Director

Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Beyreuther, Director Emeritus, Senior Professor Distinctus
Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University

Bergheimer Straße 20
D-69115 Heidelberg
Phone: +49 (0)6221 54 6845

beyreuther(at)nar.uni-heidelberg.de

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Konrad Beyreuther (born 1941) is Founding Director of the Network Aging Research, Heidelberg University, Germany. His interest is in human brain function, Alzheimer‘s disease, aging, and systems gerontology. Formerly Professor for Molecular Biology and Director of the Center of Molecular Biology (ZMBH), and Dean, Faculty of Biology, he holds a Senior Professorship at Heidelberg University. From 2001-2006 he was as State Secretary – Staatsrat - for Life Sciences, member and scientific advisor of the government of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. He has been awarded numerous accolades for his pioneering work on Alzheimer‘s disease.
 

Current Research Projects

• GECONEU - funding by the EU-Programm Erasmus⁺, duration 2021-2024
  Subject: Genetic counseling in European universities – The case of neurodegenerative diseases
   

Selected Publications

• Tienari et al. (1996). Neuronal sorting and processing of amyloid precursor protein: Implications to Alzheimer disease. Cold Spring Harbor Quant. Symp. 61: 575-585.
• Weidemann et al. (1997). Formation of stable complexes between two Alzheimer-disease gene products: presenilin-2 and β-amyloid precursor protein. Nature Med. 3:328-332.
• Lichtenthaler et al. (1999). Mechanism of the cleavage specificity of Alzheimer disease γ-secretase revealed by phenylalanine-scanning mutagenesis of the transmembrane domain of APP. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96: 3053-3058.
• Fassbender et al. (2001). Simvastatin strongly reduces Alzheimer disease Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels in vitro and in vivo . Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98 : 5856-5861.
• Kins et al. (2001). Reduced PP2A activity induces hyperphosphorylation and altered compartmentalization of tau in transgenic mice. J Biol Chem: 276, 38193-38200.
• Lichtenthaler et al. (2002) The intramembrane cleavage site of the amyloid precursor protein depends on the length of its transmembrane domain. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99: 1365-1370.
• Kins et al. (2003). Hyperphosphorylation and somatodendritic localization of tau in PP2A dominant negative mutant mice is associated with activation of ERK and JNK signaling. J. Am. Path., 2003, 163 (3), 833-843.
• Eggert (2004). The proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein gene family members APLP-1 and APLP-2 involves α -, β -, γ -, and ε -like cleavages. Modulation of APLP-1 processing by N-glycosylation. J Biol Chem 279: 18146-18156.
  
  Search Pubmed for publications by Konrad Beyreuther
   

Awards

• 1987 Goettinger Academy for the Humanities and Sciences, Corresponding Member
• 1988 Robert Pfleger-Award for Medical Research
• 1989 Feldberg Prize for Anglo-German Scientific Exchange
• 1990 Potamkin Prize for Alzheimer's Disease Research
• 1991 Heidelberg Academy for the Humanities Sciences, elected Member
• 1991 Metropolitan Life Foundation Award 1990 for Medical Research
• 1991 Prix de Foundation IPSEN pour la Recherche Therapeutique la Maladie d'Alzheimer et les Demences Senile
• 1991 Max-Planck-Price for International Scientific Collaboration
• 1992 Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina, elected Member
• 1995 Klaus-Joachim-Zuelch-Prize for Neurology
• 1996 Honours Doctoral Degree in Medicine, University of Kuopio, Finland
• 1997 King Faisal International Prize for Medicine
• 1997 Winderemere Travelling Professor 1997, Melbourne, Australia
• 2002 Henry M. Wisniewski Award for Lifetime Achievement in Alzheimer’s Disease Research
• 2004 Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
• 2006 Lennox K. Black International Prize for Excellence in Medicine
• 2011 Erster Preisträger des vom Unternehmer Hartwig Piepenbrock gestifteten und vom Deutschen Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen ausgewählten Hartwig Piepenbrock-DZNE Preis für seine Forschungen zum Amyloid-Precursor-Protein
• 2014 Verdienstorden des Landes Baden-Württemberg

Vita