Name: Hans-Gert Bernstein

My Area of Interest: Neurobiology, Neuromolecular Medicine

My Favourite Quote: as it was

I am a: Associate Professor

Short Profile:
Main fields of interest: Neuroanatomy, Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Immunocytochemistry

What are your future goals? Where do you see your research going?:
Main goals are: To contribute by applying modern genomic and proteomic techniques to a better understanding of mental diseases (schizophrenia, depression) and neurodegenerative diseases (Alzhiemer´s)

Technologies seem to changing faster than ever, how do you adapt to that? What are the current technologies you are using?:
learning by doin and reading a lot. The younger generation is always on a good way. So, sometimes I am learning from my doctorands. And of cause wide-spread cooperation eith experts…

In the broader picture, where do you see the application for your cutting-edge research?:
We have identified in the brain a molecular isoform of the very important regulator neuregulin (neuregulin-1alpha). Once it is present there it may be responsible for a plethora of hithero not understood processes in connection with cell migration and cell adhesion (as it is in other tissues). This may have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of schizophrenia, for example., since schizophrenia is commonly regarded a neurodevelopmental disease. Indeed, this isoform is down-regulated in postmortem brains of schizophrenics.

Fast forward to 2020. What’s your vision of Genomics in 2020?:
The year 2020 will witness curing of many diseases by the application of genomics. And we will see a clear switch in the impact of the coutries. I am convinced that in 2020 leading results will mainly come from Asia.