Before you stands the Erwin Negelein bust. This bronze portrait sculpted by Sabina Grzimek is a tribute to a remarkable man. Erwin Negelein was a prominent German biochemist and cell biologist. He made significant contributions to the understanding of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism.
Negelein’s career began in 1919 at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Cell Physiology. This was under the direction of the future Nobel laureate Otto Warburg. He wasn’t born into a privileged family. He actually started with a mechanics apprenticeship. He later pursued his chemistry studies while working. He earned his doctorate in 1932.
Throughout his career Negelein published over 20 scientific papers with Warburg. These explored the Warburg hypothesis on glucose metabolism in tumors. A particularly significant discovery was made in 1939. He discovered 13-diphosphoglycerate. This compound also known as the Negelein ester is an intermediate in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.
After World War II Negelein continued his research in Berlin-Buch. He worked at the Institute for Medicine and Biology. This later became part of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. He eventually headed the Cell Physiology department. He also became a titular professor of physiological chemistry at Humboldt University. In 1961 his institute was divided and he became director of the new Institute for Cell Physiology.
Erwin Negelein received numerous awards for his contributions to science. He received the Patriotic Order of Merit in Bronze in 1962. In 1972 he became an honorary member of the Biochemical Society of the GDR. The Erwin-Negelein-Haus a biotechnology laboratory building on the Berlin-Buch biomedical campus commemorates him. This bust before us serves as another fitting tribute to his lasting legacy. His work continues to influence the fields of biochemistry and cell biology. His name lives on not only in this bust but also in the scientific term Negelein ester.