Henning Walczak: the cell’s self-destruction plan laid bare

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Henning Walczak, Biologist at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. Quelle: Private

09.02.2006  - 

It is not often that somebody opts out of a subject at school and then later becomes an expert in the field. There are other respects in which Henning Walczak, a biologist at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, is a rather untypical scientist. Unlike many in his field, he sees his research from an entrepreneurial perspective and, with this, knows all about the ebb and flow of the marketplace.

At an early age, Henning Walczak was clear about what he did and did not want. "I always found biology exciting, but drawing onion cells does not really do it for me", he says. Thus, Walczak opted out of biology at school, but took it as a subject at university following his Abitur, the German high-school diploma. Before his scientific studies began in earnest in Bielefeld, he spent half a year in  Madrid to learn Spanish, after which he fell into his Biology studies with a passion.

Biomedicine was always the most fascinating subject for the citizen of Bremen, originally from Uerdingen am Niederrhein. This fascination led him to the DKFZ in Heidelberg, where he would write his diploma thesis. It was as early as his arrival at this institution that he chose his field of expertise:  apoptosis, the self-destruction plan of the cell, had captured his interest, not least because there was still so much to discover in this area. "This process is of enormous importance for the human organism, but at that time almost nothing was known about it", says Walczak.

Apoptosis as a crucial function

The word ‘apoptosis’ comes from the Greek "apo" for "away" and "ptosis" for "case" or “instance” and describes leaves falling from the trees in autumn. For humans the procedure is vitally important. The body must be able to dispose of damaged cells or those which have fulfilled their task. For example, without this capability, the embryo’s development would be impossible.  However, before the self-destruction procedures can begin, the cell must receive certain signals via receptors which pass the information on to the cell core. On this mark, the DNA in the cell nucleus is divided and the cell actively packs itself into many smaller parts, which are then consumed by the macrophages in the body. This is all achieved without damage to any other part of the body.

Targeted activation and ending of self-destruction signals

Researchers such as Walczak now want to find out what’s happening on a molecular level during apoptosis, and why in some cases the process takes place too rarely or too often. Currently, it is assumed that these malfunctions are connected to diseases such as cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. Together with Peter Krammer at the DKFZ, one of the most well-known apoptosis researchers in Germany, Walczak is hoping to uncover the many signal pathways of the apoptosis and decode the central protein molecules involved, opening the path for the development of future medicines. "If we know what happens and where, active substances can be developed which will stop the self-destruction of the cell, or activate it" describes Walczak. This is the goal of the researcher and the continuing motivating drive for Walczak: "I never wanted to become a doctor as I can’t stand the sterile smell of hospitals. But, in my way, I would like to help patients with my research results."

From researcher to entrepreneur

The urge to bring his research into medical practice has ultimately led Walczak to set up a biotech company of his own. Originally, he learnt about bringing together basic research and applied development when he undertook a post doctorate at the biotech enterprise Immunex Corp in the US,  financed by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Back in Germany,  it was only a matter of the time until Walczak took the same course. In the year 2000 Walczak won the BMBF BioFuture competition, which, over five years of generous financing, has prepared the basis for his own research group at the DKFZ. Upon winning the competition, he created the enterprise Apogenix AG together with Peter Krammer. The goal: to develop active substance candidates which block the self-destruction signals of cells during medical emergencies such as stroke or cardiac arrest. With this in mind, Walczak has certain protein molecules in his sights, soluble death ligands called CD95-Fc, which should be developed using a similar technique to the already successful TNF blockers.

Saved after a downhill year

That Walczak not only created the enterprise but also stepped onto the executive committee was a natural development, not least owing to the experience which he gained at Immunex: “At the very beginning, it is important for a company that there is someone on board who is well-versed with the ground-level work that is going on in the field.” However, there was another ground level in view as the company dropped off the entrepreneurial radar and was put on hold for one year due to insolvency. The enterprise was restarted thanks to a 15 million EUR investment by SAP-founder Dietmar Hopp. Apogenix GmbH is led now by Dr. Thomas Hoeger and Dr. Harald Fricke, two managers with many years of industrial experience. "The double workload of being a group leader at the DKFZ and being on the executive committee at Apogenix was far too pressured, and those times are now past. The new management has everything which is needed for the future success of this company" says Walczak, who now has a consultant role at Apogenix GmbH.

A head freed for research Walczak is now concentrating exclusively on research. There are plenty of new ideas and plans in the pipeline and, together with his team at the DKFZ, the first steps towards the realisation of these ideas have already been taken. Specifically, research into the spectrum of effectiveness of a particular cancer drug is underway. Also, Walczak would like to further understand how, within the cell, the signal transmission routes of the apoptosis are connected to other signal pathways. About this new phase of his career, he is optimistic: "You never know, perhaps we can again find something new that will ultimately help patients”.