Walter Wahli


Walter Wahli, born on 23 May 1946 in Moutier, Switzerland, is a distinguished biologist and professor. He has held academic positions at the University of Lausanne and at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. Wahli's research has contributed to the understanding of metabolic regulation through gene expression. He is particularly recognized for his work on nuclear receptors, specifically the Peroxisome proliferator-activated Receptors, which play a crucial role in regulating the body's energy balance.

Education

Wahli received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Bern in Switzerland. He then worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution of Washington in Baltimore, and as a visiting fellow and a visiting associate at the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, US.

Research and career

In 1980, Wahli became full professor and the director of the Institute of Animal Biology at the University of Lausanne where he completed several mandates, such as vice-rector for research, postgraduate and continuing education and founding director of the Center for Integrative Genomics. He then served as a professor of metabolic disease at the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, a joint medical school of Nanyang Technological University Singapore and Imperial College London, in Singapore. Since 2019, he is a visiting professor at this school.
Wahli has a long-standing interest in nuclear receptors found within cell nuclei which are responsible for sensing steroid hormones, fatty acids and other lipophilic molecules. Upon activation by these ligands, the receptors regulate the expression of specific genes, thereby controlling key biological processes, such embryonic development, homeostasis, and metabolism of the vertebrates. Since 1977, Wahli reported several discoveries related to the molecular mechanism of action of the estrogen receptor and then of the fatty acid-activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), for which he was the co-discoverer, in their functions of regulating lipid and glucose metabolism, inflammation, wound-healing, and cell differentiation processes. He also investigated the role of PPARs in the liver disease known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. He underscored the potential of PPARs as drug targets for NAFLD that is often associated to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Wahli obtained patents for his inventions. His patents include "Composition for regulating lipid metabolism" and "Composition for enhancing immunity".

Honors

Publications