Christian Rudolf Hubert Raetz (1946 – August 16, 2011[1]) was the George Barth Geller Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University.[2] He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2006.[3] His laboratory's research focused on lipid biochemistry and has contributed significantly to the understanding of Lipid A biosynthesis.[3][4][5]

Christian Rudolf Hubert Raetz
Born1946 (1946)
DiedAugust 16, 2011(2011-08-16) (aged 64–65)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materYale University, BS Harvard University, MD, PhD
Known forLipid A biosynthesis in E. coli
AwardsVan Deenen Medal
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsDuke University

Life and education edit

Raetz was born in 1946 in East Berlin. His parents were industrial chemists. In the early 1950s, the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation recruited his father, and Raetz's family moved to Columbus, Ohio. Raetz earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1967 and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1973.[3][6] Raetz died of anaplastic thyroid cancer on August 16, 2011.[7][8]

Career edit

After graduate and medical school, Raetz was a research associate at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1974 he secured a faculty position in the biochemistry department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1987, Raetz joined the pharmaceutical company Merck, eventually becoming vice president for biochemistry and microbiology research. In 1993, Raetz joined the biochemistry department at Duke.[3]

Awards and distinctions edit

  • 2006 - Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
  • 2006 - Van Deenen Medal[9]

References edit

  1. ^ "CHRISTIAN RUDOLF HUBERT RAETZ, M.D., PH.D. 1946-2011". American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Raetz Home". Duke University School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Zagorski, N. (2007). "Profile of Christian R. H. Raetz". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (44): 17252–17254. Bibcode:2007PNAS..10417252Z. doi:10.1073/pnas.0709236104. PMC 2077241. PMID 17956978.
  4. ^ Duke University News Service (November 5, 2008). "Duke researchers target lipid molecules associated with heart disease, other ailments". Durham, NC: Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  5. ^ Raetz C. Whitfield C (2002). "Lipopolysaccharide endotoxins". Annu Rev Biochem. 71: 635–700. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.71.110601.135414. PMC 2569852. PMID 12045108.
  6. ^ Kresge, Nicole; Simoni, Robert D.; Hill, Robert L. (July 22, 2011). "The Lipid A Assembly Pathway: The Work of Christian Raetz". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286 (29). The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: e6–e8. doi:10.1074/jbc.O111.000247. PMC 3138284. PMID 21887864.
  7. ^ Wickner, William T. (October 3, 2011). "Chris Raetz, scientist and enduring friend". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (42). National Academy of Sciences: 17255–17256. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10817255W. doi:10.1073/pnas.1114405108. PMC 3198341. PMID 21969572.
  8. ^ Esko, Jeffrey D. "Christian Rudolf Hubert Raetz, MD PhD, 1946–2011". Glycobiology. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  9. ^ "The van Deenen Medal". Institute of Biomembranes. 2006. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2010.

External links edit