Helmut Blum

Helmut Blum is a Professor and Group Leader at the Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, part of the Gene Center at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. His work spans genomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics, with a focus on SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, mammalian developmental processes, and livestock genetics.

• Education:
  • Dr. rer. nat. in Biochemistry, University of Würzburg (1988)
  • Doctoral Thesis in Biochemistry, University of Würzburg (1984-1988)
  • Diploma in Chemistry, University of Würzburg (1979-1984)

Research Areas

Blum's research integrates next-generation sequencing to study:

• SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology (variant tracking via wastewater analysis)
• Early embryonic development (maternal RNA degradation, allele-specific transcription)
• Domestic animal genomics (sheep adaptation, cattle traits)
• Disease models (diabetes multi-omics, lymphoma immune evasion)

Scientific Awards

• Faculty Prize, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Würzburg (1989)

Students & Collaborators

His team includes:

• Dr. Alexander Graf (Staff Scientist)
• Dr. Stefan Krebs (Research Associate)
• Dr. Susanne Thieme (Postdoctoral Researcher)
• Sarah Reschke (Doctoral Researcher)
• Daniela Opitz (Technical Assistant)