Kai Simons

{{Infobox scientist

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| name = Kai Simons

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| image = Prof Kai Simons 2014 (cropped).jpg

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1938|05|24|df=yes}}{{Cite web |title=CURRICULUM VITAE KAI SIMONS |url=https://www.ae-info.org/attach/User/Simons_Kai/CV/Simons.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811183810/https://www.ae-info.org/attach/User/Simons_Kai/CV/Simons.pdf |archive-date=2021-08-11}}

| birth_place = Helsinki, Finland

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| nationality = Finnish

| fields = biochemistry, cell biology

| workplaces = Rockefeller University, University of Helsinki, EMBL, MPI-CBG, Lipotype GmbH

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| education = University of Helsinki (MD), Rockefeller University (postdoctoral fellowship)

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| academic_advisors = Lennard Philipson, John Tooze, James Watson, Linus Pauling

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| known_for = lipid rafts, trans-Golgi network

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| spouse = Carola Simons

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| children = 3; Mikael, Katja, Matias

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| website = http://www.lipotype.com

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Kai Simons is a Finnish professor of biochemistry and cell biology and physician, living and working in Germany. He introduced the concept of lipid rafts, and coined the term trans-Golgi network. He is the co-founder and co-organizer of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and European Molecular Biology Organization, and initiated the foundation of Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics.

Early life and education

Kai Simons is the son of a physics professor. His father convinced him to study medicine, though he originally wanted to study physics. While studying at the University of Helsinki, Simons spent a summer internship in the Stockholm laboratory of Bengt Samuelsson{{Cite web|url=http://www.ascb.org/ascb-members-profile-archives/|title=ASCB Members Profile Archives – Kai Simons|date=13 August 2009|publisher=The American Society for Cell Biology|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715061747/http://www.ascb.org/index.cfm?navid=110&id=1331&tcode=nws3|archive-date=15 July 2007|access-date=27 July 2016}} There, he studied mechanisms of vitamin B12 absorption. He worked with other students to organize a campaign to fight taeniasis, a disease common in eastern Finland where eating raw fish is popular.

After completing his MD in 1964, he began a postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University in New York City, where he worked between 1966 and 1967 on blood serum protein polymorphism.

Career

Simons returned to Helsinki in 1967, where he began working as a junior investigator for the Finnish Medical Research Council at the University of Helsinki.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/current-groups/kai-simons/group-leader.html|title=Kai Simons|website=MPI CBG Research Group -: Group Leader|publisher=Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics|access-date=28 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927180635/https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/current-groups/kai-simons/group-leader.html|archive-date=27 September 2016|url-status=dead}} He became a group leader in 1972 and was a biochemistry professor in 1971–79 at the medical faculty of this university At first, he continued his work on serum proteins. Next, together with Leevi Kääriäinen and Ossi Renkonen, he started a research team – later joined by Ari Helenius, his first PhD student and later a post doctoral researcher who became Simons' brother-in-law. After a one-month stay in MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge, the group started investigating a Semliki Forest virus, introduced to Simons by Kääriäinen.

In 1975 Simons went to Heidelberg, Germany, as one of the EMBL group leaders. Together with Ari Helenius he helped to develop EMBL, headed at this time by John Kendrew. In years 1982–1998 Simons was a coordinator of the Cell Biology Program there. During this time he for the first time he introduced the concept of lipid rafts,{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K, Ikonen E |title=Functional rafts in cell membranes |journal=Nature |volume=387 |issue=6633 |pages=569–72 |year=1997 |pmid=9177342 |doi=10.1038/42408 |bibcode=1997Natur.387..569S |s2cid=4359503 }} as well as coined the term trans-Golgi network and proposed its role in protein and lipid sorting.{{cite journal |vauthors=Griffiths G, Simons K |title=The trans Golgi network: sorting at the exit site of the Golgi complex |journal=Science |volume=234 |issue=4775 |pages=438–43 |year=1986 |pmid=2945253 |doi= 10.1126/science.2945253|bibcode=1986Sci...234..438G }}

In 1999 he took part in setting up ELSO (later incorporated into EMBO), which later he presided over.{{Cite journal|last=Gransalke|first=Kathleen|date=2014|title=There Are No Easy Solutions|url=http://www.labtimes.org/epaper/LT_14_04.pdf|journal=Lab Times|volume=4|pages=34–37|issn=1864-2381|access-date=27 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806074002/http://www.labtimes.org/epaper/LT_14_04.pdf|archive-date=6 August 2016|url-status=dead}}

He was one of the initiators of establishing and building Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden (Germany), where he moved. Formally from 1998 (beginning of MPI-CBG construction) and from 2000 he was one of five institute's directors and also a group leader there.{{Cite journal|last=Simons|first=Kai|date=29 December 2008|title=Kai Simons: membrane master|journal=The Journal of Cell Biology|volume=183|issue=7|pages=1180–1181|doi=10.1083/jcb.1837pi|issn=1540-8140|pmc=2606959|pmid=19114590}} He was a director (1998–2006) and a group leader (until 2012).{{Cite web|url=https://www.mpi-cbg.de/institute/directors/|title=MPI-CBG: Directors|publisher=Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics|access-date=26 July 2016}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/alumni/|title=MPI-CBG: Alumni|publisher=Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics|access-date=26 July 2016|archive-date=5 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805110504/http://www.mpi-cbg.de/research-groups/alumni/|url-status=dead}} Since 2006 he is a "director emeritus".

He is the co-founder and co-owner of Lipotype GmbH.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lipotype.com/about-us/|title=Everything you should know ABOUT US|publisher=Lipotype GmbH|access-date=26 July 2016}}>

In 2012 he started-up a biotech company Lipotype GmbH, where he is a CEO.

Research

Early in his career, Simons pursued research in the field of medical biochemistry. Both his master's thesis and postgraduate research focused on vitamin B12 absorption.{{Cite journal|last1=Grasbeck|first1=R.|last2=Runeberg|first2=L.|last3=Simons|first3=K.|date=12 December 1959|title=Intrinsic factor and radiovitamin B12 excretion in rats|journal=Acta Physiologica Scandinavica|volume=47|pages=370–374|issn=0001-6772|pmid=13828995}}{{Cite journal|last1=Grasbeck|first1=R.|last2=Simons|first2=K.|last3=Sinkkonen|first3=I.|date=1 January 1962|title=Purification of intrinsic factor and vitamin B12 binders from human gastric juice|journal=Annales Medicinae Experimentalis et Biologiae Fenniae|volume=40(Suppl 6)|pages=1–24|issn=0003-4479|pmid=13949889}} After returning from his post-doc scholarship he continued research on vitamin B12 as well as on blood plasma proteins, but soon started investigating Semliki Forest virus, focusing on its membrane and its lipid composition and their role in the virus budding and its transport, as the model for lipid and protein secretion.{{cite journal |vauthors=Renkonen O, Gahmberg CG, Kaariainen L, Simons K |title=Envelope of Semliki Forest virus as membrane model |journal=Biochem. J. |volume=128 |issue=1 |pages=20P–21P |year=1972 |pmid=5085567 |pmc=1173622 |doi= 10.1042/bj1280020pb}}{{cite journal |vauthors=Renkonen O, Kääriäinen L, Gahmberg CG, Simons K |title=Lipids of Semliki Forest virus and of host cell membranes |journal=Biochem. Soc. Symp. |issue=35 |pages=407–22 |year=1972 |pmid=4614812 }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K, Garoff H |title=The budding mechanisms of enveloped animal viruses |journal=J. Gen. Virol. |volume=50 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |year=1980 |pmid=6255080 |doi=10.1099/0022-1317-50-1-1 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K, Warren G |title=Semliki Forest virus: a probe for membrane traffic in the animal cell |journal=Adv. Protein Chem. |volume=36 |pages=79–132 |year=1984 |pmid=6382965 |doi= 10.1016/S0065-3233(08)60296-X|series=Advances in Protein Chemistry |isbn=9780120342365 |pmc=7173159 }} During this period, Simons also investigated the application of detergents in biochemistry with a special attention to their role in biological membrane research.{{cite journal |vauthors=Helenius A, Simons K |title=Solubilization of membranes by detergents |journal=Biochim. Biophys. Acta |volume=415 |issue=1 |pages=29–79 |year=1975 |pmid=1091302 |doi= 10.1016/0304-4157(75)90016-7}}

The virus lifecycle and how it uses components of vesicular pathways while shuttling to the cell surface, turned Simons' attention toward vesicular transport pathways and cell polarization. Applying epithelial model cells – MDCK (Madin-Darby canine kidney), he investigated lipid transport, protein sorting and their role in polarizing cells.{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K, Fuller SD |title=Cell surface polarity in epithelia |journal=Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. |volume=1 |pages=243–88 |year=1985 |pmid=3939606 |doi=10.1146/annurev.cb.01.110185.001331 }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K |title=Membrane traffic in an epithelial cell line derived from the dog kidney |journal=Kidney Int. Suppl. |volume=23 |pages=S201–10 |year=1987 |pmid=2831424 }}

In these studies, he described the role of the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in protein and lipid sorting according to their destination. In his works from 1988, together with Gerit van Meer,{{cite journal |vauthors=van Meer G, Simons K |title=Lipid polarity and sorting in epithelial cells |journal=J. Cell. Biochem. |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=51–8 |year=1988 |pmid=3277985 |doi=10.1002/jcb.240360106 |hdl=1874/294292 |s2cid=32086669 |hdl-access=free }}{{cite journal |vauthors=Simons K, van Meer G |title=Lipid sorting in epithelial cells |journal=Biochemistry |volume=27 |issue=17 |pages=6197–202 |year=1988 |pmid=3064805 |doi= 10.1021/bi00417a001|hdl=1874/293951 |hdl-access=free }} Simons proposed the existence of lipid microdomains in cell membranes for the first time. Such microdomains differ in their composition from the surrounding membrane and have special functions. Simons coined the term 'lipid rafts' to describe these microdomains. This concept was developed over the years to be presented more fully in 1997 in Nature journal by Simons and Ikonen. This paper became one of the most frequently cited works in the field of membrane research. Other Simons' paper, on role of lipid rafts in the signal transduction{{Cite journal|last1=Simons|first1=K.|last2=Toomre|first2=D.|date=1 October 2000|title=Lipid rafts and signal transduction|journal=Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology|volume=1|issue=1|pages=31–39|doi=10.1038/35036052|issn=1471-0072|pmid=11413487|s2cid=10914632}} is second highest cited work and Simons is fourth highest cited scientist in the field of signal transduction. Kai Simons was also recognized by ISI Web of Knowledge, as one of the most cited scientist ever.

In subsequent years, Simons continued to work on the role of lipid rafts, and more generally lipids, in cell polarization and protein sorting.{{Cite journal|last1=Klemm|first1=Robin W.|last2=Ejsing|first2=Christer S.|last3=Surma|first3=Michal A.|last4=Kaiser|first4=Hermann-Josef|last5=Gerl|first5=Mathias J.|last6=Sampaio|first6=Julio L.|last7=de Robillard|first7=Quentin|last8=Ferguson|first8=Charles|last9=Proszynski|first9=Tomasz J.|date=18 May 2009|title=Segregation of sphingolipids and sterols during formation of secretory vesicles at the trans-Golgi network|journal=The Journal of Cell Biology|volume=185|issue=4|pages=601–612|doi=10.1083/jcb.200901145|issn=1540-8140|pmc=2711577|pmid=19433450|url=https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/4513029/2711577.pdf?sequence=1}} He was interested also in the role of lipids and protein sorting in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in Alzheimer's disease.{{Cite journal|last1=Rajendran|first1=Lawrence|last2=Honsho|first2=Masanori|last3=Zahn|first3=Tobias R.|last4=Keller|first4=Patrick|last5=Geiger|first5=Kathrin D.|last6=Verkade|first6=Paul|last7=Simons|first7=Kai|date=25 July 2006|title=Alzheimer's disease beta-amyloid peptides are released in association with exosomes|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=103|issue=30|pages=11172–11177|doi=10.1073/pnas.0603838103|issn=0027-8424|pmc=1544060|pmid=16837572|bibcode=2006PNAS..10311172R|doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last1=Rajendran|first1=Lawrence|last2=Schneider|first2=Anja|last3=Schlechtingen|first3=Georg|last4=Weidlich|first4=Sebastian|last5=Ries|first5=Jonas|last6=Braxmeier|first6=Tobias|last7=Schwille|first7=Petra|last8=Schulz|first8=Jörg B.|last9=Schroeder|first9=Cornelia|date=25 April 2008|title=Efficient inhibition of the Alzheimer's disease beta-secretase by membrane targeting|journal=Science |volume=320|issue=5875|pages=520–523|doi=10.1126/science.1156609|issn=1095-9203|pmid=18436784|bibcode=2008Sci...320..520R|s2cid=5500387}}

His scientific record includes more than 350 scientific articles, mostly in the field of biochemistry, molecular organization of the cell, and biochemistry and physiology of a cell membrane.

Considering his work from years 1996–2007 tracked until May 2009, Simons was 12. in the list of the most frequently cited scientists in the field cell biology with 90 articles and 16,299 citations.{{Cite journal|last=Neumann|first=Ralf|date=2009|title=Publication Analysis 1996–2007. Cell Biology|url=http://www.lab-times.org/labtimes/issues/lt2009/lt05/lt_2009_05_42_44.pdf|journal=Lab Times|volume=5|pages=42–44|issn=1864-2381|access-date=27 July 2016|archive-date=5 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005120355/http://www.lab-times.org/labtimes/issues/lt2009/lt05/lt_2009_05_42_44.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Honours and awards

Kai Simons honours and awards include:{{Cite web|url=http://www.ae-info.org/ae/Member/Simons_Kai|title=Academy of Europe: Simons, Kai|publisher=Academia Europaea|access-date=26 July 2016}}

1975 Federation of European Biochemical Society Anniversary Prize
1984 Honorary Professor, University of Heidelberg, Germany
1989 Lamport Visiting Professor (Columbia, New York)
1990 Histochemical Society Lecture
1990 Keith R. Porter Lecture, American Society of Cell Biology
1991 Anders Jahre Prize for Medical Research
1991 NICHD Lectureship in Cell Biology
1993 Carl Zeiss Lecture, German Society for Cell Biology
1994 Harvey Society Lecture
1996 Dunham Lecturer, Harvard University
1996 Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1997 Academia Europaea
1997 Adam Neville Lecture, University of Dundee, UK
1997 Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA
1997 Runeberg Prize, Finland
1998 Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
1998 Choh Hao Li Memorial Lecture in Biochemical Endocrinology, University of California, Berkeley
1999 Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Oulu, Finland
2000 President of the European Life Scientist Organisation
2001 Honorary member of the German Society for Cell Biology
2001 ISI Highly cited researcher
2001 Schleiden Medal of Academy Leopoldina
2002 Hoppe-Seyler Lecture, Society of Biology and Molecular Biology Germany
2003 Albert Wander Prize, University of Bern, Switzerland
2003 Matti Äyräpää Prize, Finland
2003 Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Leuven, Belgium
2003 Honorary Professor at TU Dresden
2003 Nessim-Habif World Prize, University of Geneva, Switzerland
2004 Virchow Lecture and Medal, University of Würzburg, Germany
2005 Foundation Day Lecture, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
2005 van Deenen Medal, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2006 A.I. Virtanen Medal, Finland
2006 Honorary member of the Societas Biochemica, Biophysica et Microbiologica Fenniae
2007 Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony
2010 Doctor honoris causa, University of Kuopio, Finland
2011 Doctor honoris causa, University of Geneva, Switzerland
2016 Robert Koch Medal{{Cite web|url=http://www.robert-koch-stiftung.de/index.php?article_id=303&clang=1|title=Kai Simons. Robert Koch Gold Medal 2016|date=2016|website=Robert Koch Gold Medal 2016|publisher=Robert-Koch-Stiftung|access-date=26 July 2016|archive-date=22 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822163249/http://www.robert-koch-stiftung.de/index.php?article_id=303&clang=1|url-status=dead}}

Kai Simons was and is also a member of numerous societies, committees and organisations, as well as an editor for several scientific journals.

Personal life

He is married to Carola Simons and a father of three.

References

External links

iBiology videos by Kai Simons about lipids, lipid rafts and cellular trafficking
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4zhPvA5Qhc Part 1: The role of lipids in organizing the cellular traffic.]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-yuJz7ZEZw Part 2: Lipid rafts as a membrane organizing principle]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2OtgwEs6E Part 3: Biogenesis of glycolipid-rich apical membranes]

Category:Academic staff of the University of Helsinki

Category:Biochemistry educators

Category:Finnish businesspeople

Category:Living people

Category:Finnish biochemists

Category:Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences

Category:Finnish expatriates in West Germany

Category:Finnish expatriates in the United States

Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony

Category:Schleiden Medal recipients

Category:Finnish emigrants to Germany

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)