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Inventor Profile

Wolfgang Meyerhof

Inventor: Prof. Dr Wolfgang Meyerhof, Head of the Department of Molecular Genetics at the German Institute for Human Nutrition

Invention: Discovery of several taste receptors

Commercial potential: Development of bitter blockers to reduce the bitterness of certain foods or food additives 

Institute of origin: German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Potsdam

Industry collaborations: International companies in the field of food, flavour and fragrances

Wolfgang Meyerhof: Bitter insights from taste research

Wolfgang Meyerhof, one of the most prominent taste researchers worldwide, started his academic career in the field of developmental biology, looking into the embryonic development of amphibians. What made him move to taste research in the 1990s was not his passion for food, but rather the chance to explore new ground. The field was still untapped, when he took up the post of professor at the DIfE in 1994 and started to investigate the genomic and molecular basis of taste. To date, he and his team have discovered and characterized around 30 bitter taste receptor genes and elucidated the mechanisms of perceiving bitter, sweet and umami (sometimes described as “meaty” or “savoury”) flavours. It was amazing for him to learn that our perception of bitterness is much more sophisticated than that of sweetness. There is just one sweet taste receptor, as opposed to many for the perception of bitterness. “Presumably, this has evolved as a defence mechanism to detect potentially harmful toxins in foods – bitter-tasting glycosides, for example.”

Response by surprise
Meyerhof’s insights into taste perception were met with strong interest from the public and – surprisingly to him – the international food industry. It has never been his primary intention to leverage the commercial potential of his work, yet he very much enjoys collaborating with industry, for instance with Swiss flavour giant Givaudan for the development of bitter blockers. “It is a give and take on a scientifically demanding level. We receive valuable feedback and materials in return for our expertise – it is a source of inspiration and learning.” A position in industry, however, does not attract him. “Projects are efficiently geared towards application. For me, it would be really hard to ignore all the scientifically interesting side lines that unexpectedly pop up throughout a project.”

Follow your curiosity
Having said this, Wolfgang Meyerhof’s suggestion to fellow scientists is clear: “Go for what you are interested in.” He believes that almost everything becomes exciting if you dig sufficiently deep. He intends to stick with taste research over the coming years. A lot remains to be discovered, the perception of salty and sour tastes, for instance. But most appealing to Meyerhof is the question how the perception of taste impacts our behaviour. “I would love to understand how chemical signals are conveyed from the tongue along nerve fibres to the brain and finally make us swallow or spit-out, what we’ve just ingested.” So far, however, this process is a closed book to the scientific world. Perfect for Meyerhof – unsolved questions just whet his appetite.

Meet us at the forthcoming events:

STS Forum, October 4–6, 2009, Kyoto, Japan

ASTP Fall Seminar, October 29 & 30, 2009, Krakow, Poland

BioEurope, November 2–4, 2009, Vienna, Austria 

Biotech Networkshop, February 24–26, 2010, Schloss Ringberg (Tegernsee),  Germany

BioVaria, April 20, 2010, Munich, Germany

News in Brief:

Partnership with nine Leibniz Institutes continued
Following 3 years of collaboration, all the partner institutions of the Leibniz Association decided to continue their cooperation with Ascenion as exclusive marketing partner. more

 
New partner from the Leibniz Association: IfN
Ascenion has also closed a partnership contract with the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (IfN) in Magdeburg. more

Alliance with TWINCORE 
Ascenion and TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hanover, have signed an exclusive collaboration agreement for comprehensive IP asset management support. more

New assistant for Ascenion’s team
Since January this year, Christiane Schwarz has been assisting Ascenion’s management and co-ordinates travel for all her colleagues more

Rights to new ALL-test licensed to Medac
Ascenion has initiated and negotiated a licence agreement on behalf of Hanover Medical School (MHH) providing Medac with exclusive worldwide rights to a diagnostic test that can help guide the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). more

Fast diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases: Licence agreement with Roche Diagnostics
Researchers at the MHH Hospital for Cardiology and Angiology around Prof. Dr Kai C. Wollert have identified growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) as a marker in the blood of cardiac patients more


Novel antibiotic against tuberculosis licensed to Inverness Medical
Ascenion has negotiated the agreement on behalf of an international consortium of patent owners including a Russian inventor, the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) and the Institut Pasteur. more

FZB closes four collaboration contracts 
The FZB - Research Center Borstel - Leibniz Center for Medicine and Biosciences has entered into four alliances with industry: more

DIfE becomes member of the Life Science Foundation
Ascenion’s parent holding, the Life Science Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research has a new member: the Institute of Human Nutrition (DifE). more

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