Mary Osborn

Education

Studied mathematics and physics at Cambridge University (B.A.1962). PhD biophysics (1972), Pennsylvania State University. Postdoc with Dr J.D.Watson, Harvard University (1967-1969). Scientific Staff positions at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England (1969-1972) and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1972-1975). Since 1975 on scientific staff of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and since 1989 Honorary Professor, Medical Faculty, University of Göttingen.

Offices held

Senate (2005-2010) and Senate Commission (2002-2004)
Helmholtz Society (HGF), Board of Trustees, MISTRA, the Swedish Foundation for the Environment (1994-1997)
Biofuture Prize Jury (BMBF) (1998-2009)
Scientific Council UNESCO-BRESCE (Venice) (since 2005)
ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Infrastructure), group A (2005-2007)
Academia Europaea, Chair, Cell Biology Section, (1997-2002)
President Elect (2000- 2003) and President (2003-2006)
International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). Member of University of Göttingen Research Committee (2007-)

Awards and memberships

Federal Cross of Merit, 1st class, of the Federal Republic of Germany (2014)

Scientific Awards:
Doctorate "honoris causa", Pomeranian Medical Academy, Sczeczin, Poland (1997)
Elected member, European Molecular Biology Organization (1979)
Elected member, Academia Europaea (1995)
Meyenburg Prize for Cancer Research (1987)
Carl Zeiss Prize, German Society Cell Biology (1998)
Helena Rubenstein / UNESCO Prize for Women in Science (U.K) (1998)
L'Oreal / UNESCO Prize for Women in Science (2002)
Outstanding Science Alumni Award, Pennsylvania State University (2005)
Dorothea Schlözer Medal, University of Göttingen (2007)

Member Scientific Advisory Boards:
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg (1992-1997, chair 1995 -1997)
Pette Institute, Hamburg (1992-1998, chair 1994-1998)
Hinterzartener Kreis (DFG) (1994-2000)
Mildred Scheel Foundation for Cancer Research (1995-2001)
Biomedical Research Centre, Virchow Clinic, Berlin (1996-2004)
Max Delbruck Centre, Berlin (1999-2002)
HMGU (formerly GSF) Munich (1999-2002)
Thomson Scientific, Philadelphia (2006-2009)
Prize juries Schrödinger Prize (2001, 2002)
Kaj Linderstrom Lang Prize, Copenhagen (since 2003)
Descartes Prize (EU) (2006, 2007)
LÒreal /UNESCO Women in Science (since 2007)
Marie Curie Excellence Awards (EU) (panel chair 2007)
ETAN Group Member and Chair of the ETAN Group sponsored by the EU Research Directorate which wrote the ETAN Report “Promoting excellence through mainstreaming gender equality” (1998- 2000)

Review panels (Germany):
DFG-Sonderforschungsbereich Bielefeld/Münster 1985, 1993
DFG Virus-Cell Interactions Munich 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991
DFG Extracellular Matrix 1992, 1994, 1996
DFG Signal Transduction 1992
DFG Molecular Control Mechanisms of Cell Migration 1998
Chair of Pette Institute Review, Hamburg, 1993, 1997
GKSS, Teltow 2006

Review and other panels (international):
Occasional reviewer grant applications for NSF, NIH, Dutch Cancer Society, MRC London, FWF Vienna.
Chair, Cell Biology Review at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 1993
Cochair, Differentiation Review at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) 1995
Review Panel Gene Expression (EMBL) 1996, and Cell Biology (EMBL) 1997
Member Review Boards, Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) London, 1995, 2000
Member Review Panels VIB, Ghent, Belgium 1998, 1999, 2005
Member Review Panel EU, Expression of Interest 2002, Integrated projects Review 2004
Member Review Panel, Depts Biology and MBB, Pennsylvania State University, US, 2006
Member Review Panel BMBF, Systems and Chemical Biology, 2007
Science Policy Member High Level EU Panel on Steps Towards a European Research Area, Brussels, May 2000
Member ELSO/EMBO High Level meetings on the European Research Area, Paris and Venice 2003
Testified on Codes of Conduct for Scientists to States Parties to Biological Toxin Weapons Convention (Geneva 2005)
Chairperson at RS-IAP-ICSU Meeting on developments relative to the Biological Toxin Weapons Convention, 2006

Selected publications

Weber, K. and Osborn, M.
The reliability of molecular weight determination by dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
J. Biol. Chem. 244:4406-4412 (1969).

Osborn, M. and Weber, K.
SV40 gene A function and maintenance of transformation.
J. Virol. 15:636-644 (1975).

Osborn, M. and Weber, K.
Cytoplasmic microtubules in tissue culture cells appear to grow from an organizing structure towards the plasma membrane.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73:867-870 (1976).

Osborn, M., Franke, W.W. and Weber, K.
Visualization of a system of filaments 7-10 nm thick in cultured cells of an epithelioid line (PtK2) by immunofluorescence microscopy.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74:2490-2494 (1977).

Osborn, M., Born, T., Koitzsch, H.J. and Weber, K.
Stereo immunofluorescence microscopy. I. Three-dimensional arrangement of microfilaments, microtubules and tonofilaments.
Cell 14:477-488 (1978).

Osborn, M., Webster, R.E. and Weber, K.
Individual microtubules viewed by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy in the same PtK2 cell.
J. Cell Biol. 77:R27-R34 (1978).

Osborn, M. and Weber, K.
Tumor diagnosis by intermediate filament typing: a novel tool for surgical pathology.
Lab. Invest. 48:372-394 (1983).

Domagala, W., Lasota, J., Chosia, M., Szadowska, A., Weber, K. and Osborn, M.
Diagnosis of major tumor categories in fine needle aspirates is more accurate when light microscopy is combined with intermediate filament typing: a study of 403 cases.
Cancer 63:504-517 (1989).

Kallajoki, M., Weber, K. and Osborn, M.
A 210 kD nuclear matrix protein is a functional part of the mitotic spindle; a microinjection study using SPN monoclonal antibodies.
EMBO J. 10:3351-3362 (1991).

Harborth, J., Weber, K., and Osborn, M.
Epitope mapping and direct visualization of the parallel, in-register arrangement of the double-stranded coiled-coil in the NuMA protein.
EMBO J. 14:2447-2460 (1995).

Harborth, J., Wang, J., Gueth-Hallonet, C., Weber, K. and Osborn, M.
Self assemby of NuMA: multiarm oligomers as structural units of a nuclear lattice.
EMBO J. 18:1689-1700 (1999).

Gruber, J., Lampe, T., Osborn, M. and Weber K.
RNAi of FACE1 protease results in growth inhibition of human cells expressing lamin A: implications for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
J. Cell Sci. 118:689-696 (2005).

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