A life for genetics: Dr. Klaus Dieter Zang is 90 years old!

A life for genetics: Dr. Klaus Dieter Zang is 90 years old!

Dr. Klaus Dieter Zang, an outstanding representative of human genetics, will celebrate his 90th birthday on July 23, 2025. The Ludwigshafen native, who was born in 1935, has had an impressive career in medical research that has spanned over six decades. Zang was not only a student of Nobel Prize winner Prof. Dr. Adolf Butenandt at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, but also an important scientist whose work contributed significantly to the development of human genetics in Germany, such as Saarland University reported.

After graduating from high school in 1954 and briefly studying law, Zang began studying medicine in 1955. He passed his state examination in 1961 and then received his doctorate in biochemistry. He took the first steps in his career as a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry and later worked as a postdoctoral researcher. Zang was a freelancer at Beckman Instruments Europe, where he made significant contributions to the standardization of clinical spectrophotometry.

Research focus and academic career

From 1963, Zang conducted research at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry, where he dedicated himself to the genetic study of brain tumors and Down syndrome. His commitment led him to head a junior research group for medical genetics and cytogenetics in 1967. Here he discovered a significant chromosomal abnormality in meningiomas and demonstrated the Papova virus SV40 in tumors. These successes led to his habilitation in 1971.

In 1973, Zang was appointed professor of human genetics at Saarland University. There he played a key role in establishing the Institute for Human Genetics. He was also Vice President for Research between 1979 and 1981 and is known for his many years of work in the Academic Senate and the University's Central Research Commission Wikipedia notes.

Influence and engagement in science

In total, Zang has published more than 200 scientific papers and several books, many of which were published after his retirement in October 2003. During his career, he supervised over 100 doctoral and diploma students and led twelve employees to their habilitation. His research projects have been funded with almost 30 million DM from various institutions, which underlines his considerable commitment to the scientific community.

In addition to his academic achievements, he was a forensic expert for parentage assessments and a member of the Saarland Medical-Legal Working Group for over 30 years. For his services, he was awarded the Ernst von Bergmann plaque by the German Medical Association in 2000, which further highlights his influence and importance in the field of medical training and research.