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Dr. Meinhart Zenk
Dr. Zenk works with Dr. Kutchan in her laboratory.
A leader in the field of plant biochemistry, Dr. Zenk has built a
worldwide reputation for his work on the synthesis of plant alkaloids
and other compounds. In addition to the identification of endogenous
morphine in cultivated cells from the human brain, he is also widely
known for his characterization of chemical reaction sequences and for
the isolation of new enzymes. His pioneering work describing a new group
of heavy metal-binding polypeptides in plants known as phytochelatins
holds great interest for ecologists interested in exploring plants as
potential processors of heavy metal detoxification.
Before coming to the Danforth Center in 2006, Dr. Zenk taught and
conducted research for over 40 years in his native Germany. He has
supervised around 70 PhD students, and has retired from teaching so that
he can focus on his research at the Danforth Center and in collaboration
with scientists at Washington University School of Medicine, where he
holds an adjunct professorship in the Department of Anesthesiology.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and a special issue of the
journal Phytochemistry was dedicated to Dr. Zenk in 2003. In
1992, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences as a foreign
associate.
To learn more, please visit the Kutchan Lab Web page at
www.danforthcenter.org/kutchan/ |
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