Professional history and profile
Education in preclinical medicine and biochemistry at the universities of München and Tübingen, Germany. Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1971 1980 - 1987 Professor of Physiological Chemistry at Tübingen, Germany 1988-2008 Professor and Chairman of Biochemical Pharmacology at the University of Konstanz, Germany
- 1990 - 1992
Dean of the Faculty of Biology
- 1996 - 2007
Director of the Steinbeis Technology Transfer Centre “In vitro Pharmacology and Toxicology” (InPuT) at the University of Konstanz
- 1997 - 2003
Head of the DFG funded Research-Group "Endogenous Tissue Destruction"
- 1997 - 2003
Elected peer-reviewer of the German Research Foundation for Pharmacology and Toxicology
- 1996 - 1997
President of the German Association for the Study of the Liver
- 2000 - 2004
Pro-Rector for Research of the University of Konstanz
- 2000 - 2006
Secretary General of the German Society for Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology
- 2006 - 2008
Chairman of the a joint Swiss-German DFG-Funded International Research Group (together with Altanapharma, Germany, the Swiss Technology Institute (ETH) Zürich and Cytos, Ltd, Zürich)
- 2005 - 2008
Member of the International ISO/DIN board, in charge of Safety Testing for Medical Devices
- 2008 - 2011
Managing Driector of the Interfaculty Center for Pharmacogenomics and Pharma Research at the University of Tübingen
- 2002 - 2019
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Environmental Prize of the Black Forest Savings Bank, Calw, Germany
- 2013 - present
Member of the Jury of the GoBio (=Start-up Patronage) Program of the German Ministry for Research and Technology
- 2019 - present
Scientific Advisor of Menavitin GmbH, Berlin/ Pharmena Ltd, Lodz, Poland
Sabbatical leaves
- 1987
Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem/ Israel, Dept. of Appl Pharmacology
- 1994
Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California/U.S.A., Dept. of Pharmacol.
- 2004 - 2005
Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, ECVAM unit
Conferences
- 1973
International Conference on Glutathione, Tübingen, Germany
- 1978
International Conference on Functions of Glutathione in Liver and Kidney, Reisensburg Castle, Germany
- 1988
International Conference on Selenium in Biology and Medicine, Tübingen, Germany
- 1996
International Conference on Selenium in Biology and Medicine, Beijing, China (co)
- 1997
International Falk-Symposium on Autoimmune Liver Disease, Konstanz, Germany
- 1997
Conference of the German Association for the Study of the Liver, Konstanz, Germany
- 2006
Symposium on the use of Neohepatocytes for in vitro Toxicology
Lines of research (in historical order)
- Biosynthesis and function of glutathione (1970-75)
- Characterization of the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase and its role in antioxidant defence (1971-85)
- Role of oxygen radicals and enzymology of superoxide dismutase, together with U. Weser, Tübingen and A. Azzi, Padova Functions of glutathione and its conjugates in the kidney, together with S. Silbernagl, Innsbruck (1974-80)
- Pathophysiology and enzymology of the selenium and vitamin E and their role in inflammation Drug-induced liver injury: mechanisms and intervention (1978-1990)
- The role of prostaglandins and leukotrienes in inflammation (1987-1992)
- The function of pro-inflammatory cytokines in inflammation and shock (1987-2007)
- Anti-inflammatory drugs, e.g. ebselen etc. (1980-now)
- Mediators of acute lung injury and pharmacological interventions (1988-2003)
- Pleiotropy of the hematopoetic growth factors G-CSF and GM-CSF and their role in immunomodulation during sepsis (1991-now)
- Mechanisms of receptor-mediated apoptotic vs necrotic cell death in the liver (1994-2008)
- Selective apoptosis in malignant cells (2001-2008)
Honors and Awards
- 1985
Honorary Professor of Medicine, Xian Medical College, PR China for work on Selenium
- 1990
Galenus Award for Innovative Drug Development (i.e. the nonsteroidal selenium-containing anti-inflammatory drug ebselen)
- 1993
National and European Award for in vitro model of Septic Shock (T. Hartung and A. Wendel)
- 1995
Sandoz Award for therapy-relevant pharmacological work (A. Wendel, G. Tiegs, T. Hartung, J. Barsig)
- 1996
International Doerenkamp-Zbinden prize for realistic animal protection in biomedical research (T. Hartung and A. Wendel)
- 2001
Euregio Innovation Award for the detection of airborne pyrogens (T. Hartung and A. Wendel)
- 2004
Löhn Technology Transfer Award of the Steinbeis Foundation for Techology Transfer for In Vitro Pyrogen Test Launching
Cooperations with pharmaceutial industry
- 1978 - 1984
Consultant Ciba Geigy, Basel CH (consultant inflammation)
- 1984 - 1988
Nattermann / Rhône Poulenc-Rorer D/F/U.S.A. (preclinical development of the NSAID ebselen)
- 1986 - 1990
Hoechst / Wiesbaden D (project pentoxyfyllin analogues)
- 1988 -2008
Altanapharma, Konstanz D (consulting inflammation)
- 1990 - 1992
Azuchemie D (head scientific board)
- 1992 - 1997
Amgen U.S.A. (project G-CSF and consulting)
- 1992 1999
Jenapharm, Jena D (scientific board)
- 1994 -1997
Schering-Plough / Essex D (consulting)
- 1994 -1998
Madaus AG, Köln D (scientific board)
- 2000- 2010
Sound Pharmaceuticals, Seattle, U.S.A. (scientific board)
- 2001-2005
Biovision, Hannover,D (head scientific board)