Happy 85th birthday, Detlev Ganten!
The campus was surrounded by barbed wire, somewhat gray, “still very much GDR.” When Professor Detlev Ganten moved from Heidelberg to Berlin-Buch in 1991, it was by no means certain that an internationally recognized biomedical research center would emerge here within just a few years. On the contrary: for the roughly 2,000 employees of the former “Akademie-Zentralinstitute für Molekularbiologie, Krebs- und Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung,” it was a time of complete uncertainty.
Opening of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine 1992. Front row, from left to right: Research Minister Prof. Dr. Heinz Riesenhuber, President Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker, Prof. Dr. Detlev Ganten, Dr. Ursula Ganten, Dr. Erwin Jost, Health Senator Dr. Peter Luther, Prof. Dr. Harald zur Hausen, Director of the Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum
Only 350 of them would find employment at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, which was founded in 1992. From this hardscrabble beginning, “to create something that is humane and scientifically strong in a short time – that was a challenge,” founding director Ganten recalled in a later interview. He mastered it brilliantly. We sincerely thank him for his foresight and dedication to the center and warmly congratulate him on his 85th birthday!
A call to Berlin
Prof. Dr. Detlev Ganten, founding director of the MDC, at his office.
Detlev Ganten was born on March 28, 1941, in Lüneburg. He grew up in Bremen and studied medicine in Würzburg, Montpellier, and Tübingen. Following a stint conducting research in Montréal, Canada, he completed his doctorate at Heidelberg University, where he also specialized in pharmacology.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, he traded his research on hypertension in Heidelberg for a pioneering role at the Berlin-Buch campus. On January 1, 1992, the Federal Minister of Research appointed Ganten as Founding and Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. A year later, he accepted a professorship in clinical pharmacology at the Freie Universität Berlin.
New beginnings
Detlev Ganten with Delbrück’s children Jonathan Delbrück and Nicola Salmon.
Instead of starting from a blank slate, Ganten preserved as much as possible of what was worth keeping in Berlin-Buch. This included, in particular, the close connection between research and clinical practice. He fostered a spirit of optimism and created a sense of community. “He said: ‘Everything that was here was wonderful! We want to carry on this tradition, this spirit!’ He gave passionate speeches,” Professor Jens Reich later recalled.
Ganten was also approachable. Rather than commuting, he and his wife moved into a small apartment in the campus guesthouse. He listened, aimed to create the greatest possible sense of togetherness, and at the same time established forward-looking research. The common theme that united all researchers was “molecular medicine.” Max Delbrück was a fitting namesake: The Berlin-based Nobel laureate is considered a co-founder of molecular biology.
A visionary
From the outset, it was important to Ganten that discoveries from basic research be translated into practical applications as quickly as possible. In addition to clinical collaborations, he therefore also promoted technology transfer. The “Berlin-Buch Biotechnologie,” founded in 1995, developed into one of Germany’s most important biotech parks – the Berlin-Buch campus. From 1997 to 2001, Ganten also served as president of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
In 2004, the scientist took on another major challenge: As chairman of the board of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, he unified university medicine in East and West Berlin. At the same time, together with benefactor Johanna Quandt, he founded the Stiftung Charité, which also enabled many new collaborations with what is now the Max Delbrück Center. In 2009, on the occasion of the Charité’s 300th anniversary, Ganten initiated the World Health Summit, which has since been held annually in Berlin and has developed into one of the world’s leading global health conferences.
Prof. Detlev Ganten with his bust
Today, when walking across the freely-accessible Buch campus, one encounters people from neighboring residential areas out for a stroll, as well as an impressive collection of artworks and sculptures. Both are thanks to Ganten’s initiative. He remains closely connected to the Max Delbrück Center to this day. He is still an active member of the “Friends” association of the center, a source of ideas, and a trusted, friendly contact person for many of his colleagues.
We look forward to many more years together!
