Wolf Reik

Wolf Reik
Name	Wolf Reik
Birth date	1958
Birth place	Heidelberg, West Germany
Nationality	German
Fields	Epigenetics, Developmental Biology, Genomics
Workplaces	University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, Medical Research Council
Alma mater	University of Göttingen, University of Freiburg
Known for	Genomic imprinting, Epigenetic reprogramming, Non-coding RNA
Awards	EMBO Membership, Academia Europaea, Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award

Wolf Reik

Wolf Reik is a German-born molecular biologist and epigeneticist noted for pioneering work on genomic imprinting, epigenetic reprogramming, and the role of non-coding RNA in mammalian development. He has held senior positions at the University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute, contributed to large-scale projects in genomics and developmental biology, and influenced biomedical research on stem cells, assisted reproduction, and disease epigenetics. Reik's work interfaces with research institutions, funding bodies, and collaborative consortia across Europe and North America.

Early life and education

Born in Heidelberg, Reik completed undergraduate and doctoral studies in Germany, receiving training in molecular biology and genetics at the University of Göttingen and the University of Freiburg. During his doctoral and postdoctoral training he worked in laboratories connected with developmental genetics and mammalian embryology, interacting with groups associated with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the Max Planck Society Max Planck Society, and research teams at the Medical Research Council Medical Research Council (United Kingdom). Early mentors and collaborators included investigators active in imprinting and epigenetics, with career influences tracing to laboratories linked to the University of Oxford University of Oxford, the University College London University College London, and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory networks.

Academic career

Reik has held academic and leadership positions in the United Kingdom, notably at the University of Cambridge University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute Babraham Institute, a partner of the University of Cambridge and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. He served as group leader and program head overseeing research on epigenetic regulation, interacting with colleagues at the Wellcome Trust Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council European Research Council, and the Francis Crick Institute Francis Crick Institute. His laboratory collaborated with teams from the Sanger Institute Wellcome Sanger Institute, the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI, and the National Institutes of Health National Institutes of Health on genome-wide analyses and single-cell epigenomics. Reik has supervised doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who later joined faculties at institutions such as Imperial College London Imperial College London, King's College London King's College London, the University of Edinburgh University of Edinburgh, and the University of Cambridge.

Research contributions and theoretical work

Reik's research advanced understanding of genomic imprinting through mechanistic studies of parent-of-origin-specific DNA methylation at imprinted loci such as H19/IGF2 and the KCNQ1 cluster, connecting molecular processes to developmental syndromes investigated by clinicians at Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital and geneticists associated with the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics. He contributed to elucidating the role of DNA methyltransferases including DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B, collaborating conceptually and experimentally with researchers from the Broad Institute Broad Institute and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics.

Reik helped define epigenetic reprogramming events in primordial germ cells and early embryos, integrating data from single-cell transcriptomics groups at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and computational teams at the European Bioinformatics Institute EMBL-EBI. His laboratory characterized mechanisms by which ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes and base-excision repair pathways mediate active DNA demethylation, interfacing with research by investigators at the University of California, San Diego University of California, San Diego and Harvard University Harvard University.

A central theoretical contribution involved positioning non-coding RNAs and chromatin modifiers as regulators of allele-specific expression, linking long non-coding RNA studies from laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania and the Broad Institute to chromatin architecture research from teams at MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Reik's work informed models of epigenetic inheritance, transgenerational effects, and the developmental origins of health and disease explored by cohorts associated with the UK Biobank UK Biobank and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

His group applied genome-wide bisulfite sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, and single-cell epigenomic profiling in collaborations with technology developers at Illumina Illumina and 10x Genomics 10x Genomics, contributing datasets used by consortia such as the Human Cell Atlas Human Cell Atlas.

Awards and honors

Reik is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and Academia Europaea Academia Europaea, and has received national and international recognition including a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. His work has been supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust, the European Research Council, and the Medical Research Council, and he has been invited to give keynote lectures at meetings organized by the Gordon Research Conferences Gordon Research Conferences, the Keystone Symposia Keystone Symposia, and the International Congress of Genetics International Congress of Genetics.

Personal life and public engagement

Reik has engaged in public communication on topics linking epigenetics to human health, contributing to policy discussions involving the UK Department of Health Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom), the National Health Service National Health Service (England), and the European Commission European Commission scientific advisory panels. He has participated in outreach through the Cambridge Science Festival Cambridge Science Festival, public lectures at the Natural History Museum Natural History Museum, London, and media interviews with outlets such as BBC Science BBC and Nature Nature (journal). Outside science, his interests include classical music institutions like the Royal Opera House Royal Opera House and the Cambridge Philharmonic Cambridge Philharmonic Society.

Category:German molecular biologists Category:Epigeneticists Category:University of Cambridge faculty