A stone of rich scientists

A Villa by the sea? In the hills of Hollywood? "No need," says Timothy Springer. He had, however, the suburb is already a house in the fashionable Boston's Chestnut Hill, to the magnificent fruit and vegetable garden. So why a second? And anyway: "If we harvest in the summer to go away, who will take care of the Vegetables?"

Springer, Professor of biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at the University of Harvard, is asked why he buys no property on Cape Cod or a Ferrari, has his reason: The 71-Year-old is in the US, not only as a thinker, researcher and winner of many prizes, he has used his knowledge over the decades, also for start-UPS and a fortune made. With shares in the value of several Hundred million dollars, he is one of the richest scientists in the United States.

The Foundation for his financial success Springer with the analysis of so-called cell adhesion molecules and their effect in the immune system. The aim was drugs or vaccines against certain types of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and to develop the least Malaria.

Cycling to school

That such research can bring not only scientific fame, but also wealth, told Springer, 1999. At the time, a pharmaceutical offered the group to buy his company, Leukosite, which worked on the development of drugs against leukemia. Overnight, the scientist was a made man: He did not slash the equivalent of 100 million francs, which he put, however, in sports cars and country houses, but rather in new companies. Only a couple of weeks ago he landed the most recent Coup: The IPO of biotech firm Moderna, which he had once co-founded, rinsed shares in the amount of 400 million Swiss francs in its vault.

Springer, who contributes to the University cycles and Jeans, sees itself still as a scientist and not as an Investor. His friends, he says, were mostly academics – he should withdraw once, would get him back on the ground. A part of his money he is donating for social purposes, he has also founded, with 25 million Swiss francs, the Institute for Protein Innovation. It conducts basic research, many pharmaceutical companies do not Finance in the absence of profitability.

In stones engrossed in IPO

missed Only one small extravagance, the multi-millionaire is doing: He gathers the in China popular Gongshi stones, of the nature of bizarrely shaped boulders, a few Hundred grams to hundreds of Kilos might be difficult. These "taught stones" inspire for centuries, Poets and artists. You are said to have also – and here the biomedical scientist comes into play – to its healing effects.

was The IPO of Moderna Springer because he worked on a Gongshi-a lecture. "The way that he is interested in the stones, is the same with which he approaches his work," says the Gongshi expert Kemin Hu. If Springer love something truly, he wanted to do something. "This is exactly the attitude you need in science."

(Tages-Anzeiger)

Created: 11.02.2019, 18:12 PM