ESGCT would like to express our sadness and dismay at the loss of Dr. Manfred Schmidt. Manfred passed away on 13 January 2022, aged 54. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Dr. Manfred Schmidt was a pioneer in the gene and cell therapy field, with more than 25 years of experience in the sector. He was the Co-Founder and CEO of GeneWerk GmbH, based in Heidelberg, Germany. His most recent academic role was as Section Head of Molecular and Gene Therapy at the German Cancer Research Center, also part of the National Center for Tumor Diseases in Heidelberg, Germany.
Manfred obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Freiburg, and a Diploma degree in Biology in University Hohenheim, Germany. He authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications in international high-impact journals.
Manfred was instrumental in the development of Linear Amplification-Mediated PCR (LAM-PCR), which allowed the highly sensitive identification and sequencing of unknown DNA or RNA sequences, which are flanked by a known DNA or RNA region.
The application of LAM-PCR and its follow up development have been widely used in vector safety assessment of cell and gene therapy. The analysis of the efficiency and safety of vector systems for clinical gene therapy, combined with the application of high throughput sequencing technologies and the development of project specific bioinformatical analysis and data management systems, is his major research area.
If you wish to pass on your condolences, details are available via Genewerk.