Dr. Christian Gieger, Head of the Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology at Helmholtz Munich worked in the field of genetic epidemiology for many years and especially shaped the field of genome-wide association studies in context of metabolites and blood cells.
Christian, passed away unexpectedly on Feb 21, at the age of 60.
Christian was best known for his impact on genome wide association studies in the cardiometabolic field. Especially, he showed for the first time that molecular markers are essentially determined by genetic signatures. Further to mention are his discoveries of new gene functions in megakaryopoiesis and platelet formation, his contribution to HaemGen consortium and genome-wide perspective of genetic variation in human metabolism.
Christian was an outstanding mentor for many young scientists in genetic and molecular epidemiology and has pioneered the genetics of population-based studies. As part of the KORA study (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg), he coordinated the initiation of the genome-wide association studies from the early 2000s onwards. He advanced the sequencing of the German National Cohort – NAKO, was a member of the NAKO Use & Access Committee for the area of genetics, and principal investigator of the Genome of Europe (GoE) project. Within GoE, Christian led the contribution of 10,000 NAKO samples for sequencing and existing sequenced data from 6,000 additional NAKO samples. The use of these data and samples was approved following a complex ethical evaluation of the NAKO consent framework.
Christian was an outstanding and independent scientist who was devoted to his staff. His methodological excellence and international network have made possible a publication output of over 1000 publications and made him 3rd most cited German scientist in the field of human genetics.
We all very much appreciated his sharp mind, his resilience and his sense of humor that never left him.
– Harald Grallert, Bettina Lorenz-Depiereux, Elke Rodriguez, Sapna Sharma on behalf of all HMGU Colleagues.
The Genome of Europe community sends condolences to his family, friends, co-workers, and to all who knew him well and worked with him over the years!