On
the 16th November 2007 the EUROCarbDB project lost one of its leading
scientists. Willi von der Lieth was the coordinator of the project and
led the 'Molecular Modelling' group in the Central Spectroscopy
division of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). He was an
excellent, most helpful and selfless scientist, who was much valued by
all who knew him.
Willi studied chemistry in Hannover,
received his doctorate in Heidelberg, and joined the DKFZ in 1980 as a
scientist to develop a computer-aided information system for
spectroscopy. By 1984 he had already introduced molecular modelling
methods into the DKFZ. After a stay in Sweden, where he was engaged in
molecular dynamics simulations of peptides, he returned to the DKFZ in
1987, where he has since supported many colleagues through
computer-aided modelling of 3D structures. He was on the DKFZ advisory
committee for computing for 15 years and was chairman from 1999-2002.
Willi was a member of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the
Chemistry-Information-Computers (CIC) division, and treasurer of the
Molecular Graphics Society. Widely unknown within the DKFZ is that,
worldwide, Willi was deemed to be one of the leading scientists, and a
pioneer in, the area of Glycomics. Next to being Coordinator of the
EUROCarbDB project he was co-director of HGPI/HUPO (the Human Disease
Glycomics/Proteome Initiative), and a member of the US Consortium for
Functional Glycomics. "Willi was an inspiration to the evolution of
the glyco-bioinformatics field and an emerging leader in the mission to
develop standardized glycan databases and bioinformatics tools
world-wide. He will be missed tremendously." (Rahul Raman, CFG
Bioinformatic Core Director, MIT). Willi's research was funded (next
to the DKFZ) by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF),
the German Research Foundation (DFG), and EU third-party funds. Willi
was on the editorial board of Carbohydrate Research and had himself
published far in excess of 100 articles in journals and books. Science
has lost with his passing a wonderful person and a visionary.
Willi's
intensive collaborations both with colleagues 'in house' and also
worldwide ranged across scientifically closely related fields, but
also, and particularly, in the area of clinical chemistry and
medicine. Being himself personally affected by cancer in his younger
years, cancer research was an area to which he dedicated himself with
unimaginable commitment of energy and time. Through the results of his
research and his participation in projects and consortia he attained
increasing due regard in recent years.
After due
consideration he did not aspire to be a professor, but had nevertheless
supported such ambitions which resulted in the Habilitation and
appointment of two of his co-workers.
His sudden death is a
large professional and personal loss for all those who had the
privilege to work with him. With his high competence, his unremitting
industriousness, his particular talent for interdisciplinary work, and
his unique way, to act as 'primus inter pares' and to put aside formal
authority, he has left an inerasable mark.
He was taken by the illness that he had dedicated his life to fighting in his research.
Every man is replaceable - but with some it is particularly difficult.
EuroCarbDB is a Research Infrastructure Design Study
Funded by the 6th Research Framework Program of the European Union
(Contract: RIDS Contract number 011952)
