Birgit Classen

Prof. Dr. Birgit Classen is a leading researcher at the Pharmaceutical Institute of Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany, where she heads the Kiel Plant Glycan Group. Her work focuses on arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) in plant cell walls, their structural elucidation, and biological activities, particularly in Echinacea purpurea and Pelargonium sidoides.

• Current projects include evolutionary studies of cell wall components
• Investigations into AGP functions in xylem differentiation and salt tolerance
• Biological activity analysis of AGPs against cancer-associated galectins
• Development of somatic embryogenesis techniques for medicinal plants

She actively collaborates with international institutions and has supervised numerous students and researchers. Her laboratory employs advanced techniques like immunofluorescence microscopy and GC-MS for carbohydrate analysis.