Michael Potente elected as EMBO member
Michael Potente, Professor for Translational Vascular Biomedicine and head of the Angiogenesis & Metabolism Laboratory at the Max Delbrück Center and Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH), has been elected a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) – one of the biggest molecular biology organizations in Europe. Along with 68 other new EMBO Members and Associate Members, the cardiologist is being recognized for his outstanding achievements in the life sciences. It is not possible to apply for EMBO Membership; instead, candidates are nominated and elected by existing EMBO Members.
"Congratulations to Michael Potente on this well-deserved recognition,” says Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director at the Max Delbrück Center. “I am confident that both our institute and the EMBO community will continue to benefit from his valuable work in the field of vascular biomedicine."
Bridging science and society
Potente has a great deal of experience working at the interface between basic research and patient care, and has been strengthening the Translational Vascular Biomedicine focus area. At the Max Delbrück Center, he and his team study the vascular system, which can be considered the largest organ in the human body. Their research looks at how blood vessels grow and develop and how disease can disrupt vascular function.
“Of course I am delighted by the honor. It represents recognition of our work to date by an organization of international renown,” says Potente. “In this day and age there is great pressure to quickly translate medical research into clinical practice,” says Potente. He points out that such translation is, however, dependent on thorough basic research; it requires a full understanding of the details and the ability to describe them. “Precisely that is EMBO’s focus,” he continues. “The organization’s scope is very broad: its activities are not limited to the science, instead it acts as a go-between for science and society. What should science keep society informed about? What are the respective tasks and responsibilities? I am very much looking forward to making my contribution to exploring those topics.”
About EMBO
EMBO is an international organization of life scientists, which has more than 2,000 members elected by peers. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work. EMBO, which is funded by its member states, uses its resources for research grants, courses, workshops, conferences, and science policy initiatives, and publishes a number of prestigious journals. EMBO Membership recognizes leading life scientists for their outstanding achievements. EMBO Members have various duties, including evaluating applications of young scientists to the various EMBO programs. These include fellowships and the prestigious EMBO Young Investigator Network. Potente was part of this network earlier in his career.
Further information
- EMBO elects 67 new members and associate members
- BIH: Michael Potente elected as EMBO member
- Award-winning research in vascular biomedicine
