Awardee
Rolf Müller
Prof. Rolf Müller is the Founding and Managing Director of the Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and a professor of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Saarland University. Having received his training from the University of Bonn, he held research positions at the University of Washington and Braunschweig University of Technology, prior to his appointment as professor at Saarland University.
His laboratory has dedicated itself to the exploration of bacterial natural product biosynthetic pathways for more than 20 years, with extensive experience in working with myxobacteria and other microbial producer strains. Starting from the isolation and characterization of new microorganisms, the scope of work includes microbiology-, biotechnology-, bioinformatics-, and chemistry-based approaches to exploit these isolates as sources of new drugs, with a special focus on novel anti-infectives.
Prof. Müller has received several awards, including the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the PHOENIX Pharmacy Research Award, the DECHEMA Prize, and the Inhoffen Medal. He has also been elected member of acatech, Leopoldina, and the German Academy of Sciences and Literature.
Recognizing Excellence
"The 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee members were highly impressed by the truly outstanding past and ongoing contributions of Professor Müller in both microbial natural products isolation chemistry and in biosynthesis, as well as in the development of lead compounds for their potential in treating human diseases, through his global connections with various major funding agencies. He is also a dedicated teacher who has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and he has lectured on his research in countries all over the world."-Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Chair of the Award Committee