Eckard Wimmer
Encyclopedia
Eckard Wimmer is an American virologist most famous for his seminal work on the molecular biology of poliovirus and the first chemical synthesis of a live virus.
, Germany
. He graduated from Göttingen University, Göttingen
, Germany
in 1959 with an undergraduate degree
in chemistry, and subsequently with the degree of Doctor rerum naturalium
in 1962. He remained at Göttingen University for training in organic chemistry until 1964, followed by two years at the University of British Columbia
in Vancouver
, Canada.
His faculty appointments included positions at the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (1966-1968); Department of Microbiology, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (1968-1974); and Department of Microbiology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
, NY (1974 – present). He served as Chairman of the Department at Stony Brook from 1984-1999, and was appointed Distinguished Professor in 2002.
genome
, identification of a protein covalently attached to the viral RNA
genome and its role in viral RNA replication , describing the pathways of poliovirus protein processing, discovery of a novel cap-independent mechanism of protein synthesis initiation
, identification of the cellular receptor for poliovirus attachment and dissection of antigenic determinants of the virus particle . Wimmer was the first to demonstrate replication of a virus in a cell-free system
and to chemically synthesize the complete viral genome and regenerate a live virus from it . At the time this was considered a controversial discovery, and Wimmer was criticized for this work by mass media, and some scientists . Later he was recognized as a trendsetter in synthetic biology, and his work has many important applications to development of vaccines and other biotechnology
products. In his further studies Wimmer and his associates proposed to use synthetic viruses with deoptimized codon and codon-pair composition for creation of new vaccines . He has made significant other contributions to our understanding of poliovirus replication, pathogenesis
, and immunology
.
Life and career
Wimmer was born on 22 May 1936 in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He graduated from Göttingen University, Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1959 with an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in chemistry, and subsequently with the degree of Doctor rerum naturalium
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1962. He remained at Göttingen University for training in organic chemistry until 1964, followed by two years at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada.
His faculty appointments included positions at the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (1966-1968); Department of Microbiology, St. Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO (1968-1974); and Department of Microbiology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
, NY (1974 – present). He served as Chairman of the Department at Stony Brook from 1984-1999, and was appointed Distinguished Professor in 2002.
Major scientific contributions
Wimmer made numerous contributions and discoveries critical for the understanding of virus biology. They include the complete nucleotide sequence of the poliovirusPoliovirus
Poliovirus, the causative agent of poliomyelitis, is a human enterovirus and member of the family of Picornaviridae.Poliovirus is composed of an RNA genome and a protein capsid. The genome is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that is about 7500 nucleotides long. The viral particle is...
genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
, identification of a protein covalently attached to the viral RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
genome and its role in viral RNA replication , describing the pathways of poliovirus protein processing, discovery of a novel cap-independent mechanism of protein synthesis initiation
Protein biosynthesis
Protein biosynthesis is the process in which cells build or manufacture proteins. The term is sometimes used to refer only to protein translation but more often it refers to a multi-step process, beginning with amino acid synthesis and transcription of nuclear DNA into messenger RNA, which is then...
, identification of the cellular receptor for poliovirus attachment and dissection of antigenic determinants of the virus particle . Wimmer was the first to demonstrate replication of a virus in a cell-free system
Cell-free system
A cell-free system is an in vitro tool widely used to study biological reactions that happen within cells while reducing the complex interactions found in a whole cell. Subcellular fractions can be isolated by ultracentrifugation to provide molecular machinery that can be used in reactions in the...
and to chemically synthesize the complete viral genome and regenerate a live virus from it . At the time this was considered a controversial discovery, and Wimmer was criticized for this work by mass media, and some scientists . Later he was recognized as a trendsetter in synthetic biology, and his work has many important applications to development of vaccines and other biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
products. In his further studies Wimmer and his associates proposed to use synthetic viruses with deoptimized codon and codon-pair composition for creation of new vaccines . He has made significant other contributions to our understanding of poliovirus replication, pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...
, and immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
.
Awards
- Highly Cited Researcher, Institute of Scientific Information (top 0.5% globally in Microbiology) (1981- present)
- NIH Merit Awards (1988, 1998)
- Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (1994)
- Alexander von HumboldtAlexander von HumboldtFriedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
Forschungspreis (1996) - Fellow, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher LeopoldinaLeopoldinaLeopoldina is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. , it has a population of 51,136.It is situated in the southeastern Zona da Mata mesoregion of the state....
von 1652 (1998) - Maurice R. Hilleman Lecture, Pritzker School of MedicinePritzker School of MedicineThe Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D. granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the University's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, and matriculated its first class in 1927...
, The University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoThe University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(2001) - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, AAAS (2009) - M.W. Beijerinck Virology Prize (2011)