In Memory of Professor Dr. Ernst Theodor Rietschel

Ernst Theodor Rietschel was born on 21 May 1941 in Giessen, Germany. He received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Freiburg in 1971 and completed his habilitation in 1978. Following postdoctoral appointments at the University of Minnesota and the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology, he was appointed Professor of Immunochemistry and Biochemical Microbiology at Lübeck Medical School in 1980. He also served as Director of the Research Center Borstel, Leibniz Centre for Medicine and Biosciences, for 25 years. 

From 2013 to 2015, he oversaw the establishment of what is now the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH), which was founded in 2013 as the Berliner Institut für Gesundheitsforschung (BIG). 

Throughout his scientific career, he focused on bacterial lipopolysaccharides and endotoxins, which play a key role in triggering sepsis, as well as on innate immunity. He made significant contributions to our understanding of how bacterial components interact with the immune system. His research helped lay the foundations for modern research into inflammation and infection, on which the BIH also builds through its translational mission: understanding the mechanisms of disease and using that knowledge to develop effective therapies. 

Ernst Theodor Rietschel was not only an outstanding researcher. He was also a committed and influential force in shaping Germany’s research landscape. A member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2000, he served as President of the Leibniz Association from 2005 to 2010 and as the Executive Board's EU Representative at the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) from 2010 to 2020. 

In these roles, he worked to strengthen non-university research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and dialogue between science, policymakers and society. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, alongside numerous other national and international honours. 

As the founding director and first Chairman of the Board of Directors of what was then the Berlin Institute of Health, Rietschel laid the structural and scientific foundations for the BIH as we know it today. From the outset, rare diseases and systems biology were particularly important to him. Above all, he played a defining role in shaping the institute's translational mission: bringing basic and clinical research closer together and ensuring that scientific discoveries could be translated into clinical practice without unnecessary delay. 

He was deeply committed to fostering close and lasting collaboration between research institutions, universities and hospitals. He actively promoted new structures for integrating knowledge and a new approach to education and training in translational research. For Rietschel, modern, high-quality research infrastructure was also an essential foundation for responsible scientific practice. The structure of the BIH today reflects how these principles have been put into practice and continue to evolve. 

Those who had the privilege of working with him valued his warmth, approachability and willingness to take on responsibility, grounded in trust in himself and others. He looked beyond the boundaries of his own discipline and always showed a genuine interest in the people around him. For him, respect and appreciation for others were not merely principles, but values he lived by every day. 

Our deepest sympathies go to his wife, his family and all those who were close to him. His scientific legacy and his humanity will be remembered with deep respect and affection at the BIH and Charité. 

On behalf of the BIH

Prof. Dr Christopher Baum 
Chair of the BIH Board of Directors 

Dr Doris Meder 
Administrative Director of the BIH at Charité 

On behalf of Charité 

Prof. Dr Heyo K. Kroemer 
Chief Executive Officer of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin