Ernster

Obituary: Lars Ernster   Lars Ernster died of cancer on November 4 at the age of 78 after a short period of illness. He is survived by his wife Edit.  Lars Ernster was born in Hungary and came to Sweden in 1946. He took his PhD degree at the Stockholm University in 1956. Until 1967 he was the head of the division for Physiological Chemistry at the Wenner-Gren Institute. From 1967-86 he was professor of biochemistry and chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, and from 1971-74 Dean of the Chemical Section of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Stockholm University.  Lars Ernster played many prominent roles in the scientific community. He was a member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry (1977-88) and a member of the Board of the Nobel Foundation. In addition, he acted as General Secretary for the International Council of Scientific Unions, President of the International Cell Research Organization and as President of the International Society for Vitamins and Related Cofactors. From 1986-94, he held the position of President of the European Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute. He has also acted as special adviser for UNESCO in the areas of scientific research and higher education.  As a consequence of his active involvement and collaboration with scientific institutions throughout the world, he was elected a member of some 20 different scientific academies and research organizations. In addition, he was awarded a number of honorary doctorates. Throughout the whole of his career, he was regularly a guest professor at various European and American universities and member of the Editorial Boards of a number of prestigious international journals. Furthermore, he organized congresses, symposia and scientific courses.  Lars Ernster was a highly productive and successful researcher, authoring or co-authoring more than 500 publications in the areas of biochemistry and cell biology and one of the leading researchers in the world in the areas of mitochondrial membrane biochemistry and energy transformation. His laboratory served as a Mecca for researchers from around the globe and as the starting point for many scientific careers. During the last decades his research interests also included free radicals, antioxidants, mitochondrial diseases and biochemical toxicology. He returned to one of his previous interests: coenzyme Q, now not as a mitochondrial redox component but as a membrane lipid constituent, its biosynthesis and regulation in various physiological and pathological conditions. The antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q and the mechanism of participation during lipid and protein oxidation were the dominating lines in these most successful studies.  When Lars Ernster became a professor at the Stockholm University in 1967, he had a vision of creating an all-round and modern department of biochemistry. With great creativity and the ability to infuse his colleagues with enthusiasm, he built up the largest department at the University and in this way the Department of Biochemistry became a scientific bastion of highest international reputation.  But above all, Lars Ernster was a very warm and generous person who never hesitated to reach out a helping hand to friends, colleagues and students. His door was always open to those who wished to discuss questions and problems, both of a scientific nature and on the personal level. With the exception of the last few weeks, he participated actively in the scientific life at the department as well as at the international level. We remember him with gratitude as great example both as a scientist and a human being.

Gustav Dallner