Professor Dr Rudolf Jaenisch

Research Priorities: Molecular biology, stem cell research, cancer research, genetics, therapeutic cloning
Rudolf Jaenisch is a German molecular biologist and geneticist. He developed the first transgenic mouse and is considered a pioneer of transgenic research. His mouse model enabled researchers to study the causes of several diseases. It also enabled them to conduct fundamental research about the role of DNA-modifications, imprinting, and the inactivation of the X-Chromosome.
With his research, Rudolf Jaenisch was able to show that external DNA can be integrated into the germ line of a mouse embryos. With this insertion mutagenesis, he was the first to identify the genes central to embryo development. He earned his biggest merits with his research on epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation that are vital for embryonal development and that - if misdirected - can lead to the development of diseases. This research is of especial importance as it pertains to embryonal stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. Here, Rudolf Jaenisch predominately studies the processes that exceed the purely genetic information contained in the genetic material, called DNA. To Science, these are known as “epigenetic mechanisms”. They encompass, for example, the processes of a developing embryo, where embryonal stem cells can potentially differentiate themselves into any desired cell of the body.
The research’s goal is the isolation of suitable embryonal stem cells for the therapy of diseases that so far cannot be treated or can only be treated unsatisfactorily. With his research, he significantly progressed the understanding of diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, or ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) und delivered impulses for the development of new therapeutical strategies.
Moreover, his mouse model enabled fundamental research to study the role of DNA-modifications, imprinting, and the inactivation of the X-chromosome.