Georg F. Weber
From Santa Fe Institute Events Wiki
Georg F. Weber (born in Germany, now on the faculty in Cincinnati) is a cancer researcher, who has made contributions to the exploration of metastasis by defining the physiologic role of metastasis genes and by discovering the interaction between the molecules osteopontin and CD44. Georg has defined the genetic basis of metastasis formation as aberrant expression or splicing of a unique set of developmentally non-essential genes (stress response genes) that physiologically mediate the directed migration of immune system cells. Early in his intellectual life, Georg wrote publications on chess and biomechanics. His medical career was initially focused on immunology, in particular on the regulation of host defenses through redox mechanisms. Among various phenomena, he identified signal transduction pathways inside T-lymphocytes that determine cell proliferation, programmed cell death, or immunosenescence. Georg’s enthusiasm for complexity research is based in part on his medical research and in part on his philosophical interests.