The Challenges in Biomedicine and Agriculture
The author considers the complete understanding of the human body, in particular the brain, as the most important subject of scientific research. Towards this goal we have to identify all protein encoding genes of the human genome. Thus far 6.5% of the predicted genes have not been found. Then we have to find out which proteins are present in the more than 500 cell types of the human body, primarily using mass spectrometry. Typically around 10.000 to 12.000 proteins are found in one single cell. We have to localize the protein in the cells which is difficult because there is no generally applicable method available. We have to find out how these cells form tissues and how tissues form organs. It is a serious problem to identify the function of proteins, often incorrect annotations exist in the databases. With this knowledge we can deduce the disease relations and develop specific treatments. For this purpose rational drug design based on accurately known structures is the method of choice. The big challenges to be solved are understanding brain function, e.g. formation of memory, why do we have to sleep, then why and how do we age, what is the real cause of Alzheimer’s disease and of other neurological disorders. I strongly believe that we have the methods in our hands to solve these problems.
Agriculture is based on biomass, the product of photosynthesis. Fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, mineral oil) are derived from biomass. Therefore the question can be asked whether we can use photosynthesis to produce biofuels in order to satisfy the energy needs of mankind and to reduce global warming. Unfortunately the overall efficiency of photosynthesis is very low, only about 1 % of the energy of sunlight is stored in the biomass, in biofuels 0.1 to 0.4 % at the end. It is by a factor of 500 more efficient to use photovoltaic cells/electric batteries/electric engines to drive cars instead of biofuels/combustion engines. Nevertheless it is important to improve the yield of photosynthesis, in order to feed the still increasing world population. I am optimistic that the yield of biomass can be doubled or even tripled by genetic engineering.
About the speaker [More info]
Prof Hartmut Michel has been a director at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, since 1987. He studied biochemistry in Tübingen and Munich, and received his PhD from the University of Würzburg in 1977 for work in bioenergetics. He is a member or foreign member of many learned societies, including the Leopoldina (German National Academy of Science), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society (London).
In 1988, Prof Michel was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with Johann Deisenhofer and Robert Huber, “for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre”. He has since expanded his work onto other membrane proteins, often of medical importance. He has been most successful with secondary active transporters, which are membrane-integrated proteins that enable the specific transport of substances like nutrients and building blocks across biological membranes.