Neurochemistry

Hans Thoenen was appointed director of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in 1977 and led the department of Neurochemistry. The main emphasis of his research was the examination of the occurrence and the triggers of neurotrophic factors, in particular of neurotrophins. Hans Thoenen’s pioneer work contributed considerably to the development of this new field of research. In addition to his scientific research, Hans Thoenen also supervised the planning and building of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology at its present location in Martinsried. He has been an Emeritus Scientific Member of the institute since 1996, and still works on questions of the modulating role of neurotrophins on activity-dependent neuronal plasticity.

Hans Thoenen studied medicine at the Universities of Bern and Innsbruck and then worked in various institutes in Bern, Basel and Gent. In 1972, he was appointed leader of the neurobiological research group at the newly-established Biocenter in Basel. He has received a great number of awards, underlining the high quality of his research. These include the Feldberg Prize, Cloetta Prize, Charles A. Dana Award, Ralph B. Gerard Prize, Bristol-Myers Squibb Award and the Ernst Jung Medal in Gold. Hans Thoenen is a member of various national and international academies such as the National Academy of Science, USA. He received an honorary doctorate of the Universities of Würzburg and Zurich.