Draft:Johannes F. Coy

Johannes F. Coy (*December 15, 1963 in Otzberg) is a German biologist and cancer researcher. He discovered the genes TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10). According to the latest findings in evolutionary research, TKTL1 is a key gene that triggered increased neuron formation in the neocortex and structural improvements in the brain compared to Neanderthals, thus enabling the cognitive achievements of modern humans (homo sapiens).

Life and Scientific Work
Johannes Coy began his biology studies at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen in 1985, graduating in 1990 with a focus on molecular and human genetics and biochemistry. In the same year, he transferred to the German Cancer Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, where, after completing his diploma thesis (mapping of a tumor suppressor gene in neuroblastoma), he became a member of the research project Molecular Genome Analysis under the direction of Prof. Harald zur Hausen, then head of the DKFZ and later Nobel Prize winner for Medicine.

During this time, he focused on the identification of genes and discovered the two genes TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10) in this context. He was awarded summa cum laude in 1996 for his dissertation based on the discovery of the two genes. From his analyses of TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10), Coy concluded that both genes hold the potential for new cancer markers for for diagnostic purposes.

In his further scientific work, Coy was from then on involved in the holistic study of tumor cell metabolism, in particular the application of the two genes for the early detection of cancer on the basis of diagnostic tests. He found that the simultaneous presence of TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10) in macrophages is indicative of a cancerous disease and participated in the development of a blood test that detects TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10) in macrophages.

He also discovered the TKTL1 metabolic pathway and the associated sugar metabolism that enables the prevention and repair of cellular damage.

As a result of his research, Coy's diagnostic developments include:


 * Epitope detection in monocytes (EDIM) - Biomarker detection method in cells of the innate immune system in blood samples


 * Automated flow cytrometry method


 * Flow cytometry-based blood tests

Johannes Coy holds several patents in the field of cancer research and diagnostics, including DNaseX and TKTL1:


 * DNA encoding DNase and related vectors, host cells and antibodies (DNaseX)


 * Transketolase-related protein (TKTL1)

Awards
2007: Waltraut Fryda Prize: Awarded at the International Congress of Biological Cancer Medicine for clarifying the role of the TKTL1 gene in the fermentation metabolism of cancer cells.

2006: Diaita Science Prize: Awarded by the Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin und Diätetik e.V. (now Fachgesellschaft für Ernährungstherapie und Prävention (FET) e.V.) at the Medica trade fair for outstanding scientific commitment in the field of cancer research, diagnostics and therapy.

Publications (selection)
2022
 * Blood-Test Based Targeted Visualization Enables Early Detection of Premalignant and Malignant Tumors in Asymptomatic Individuals

2017


 * EDIM-TKTL1/Apo10 Blood Test: An Innate Immune System Based Liquid Biopsy for the Early Detection, Characterization and Targeted Treatment of Cancer.

2016


 * A key role for transketolase-like 1 in tumor metabolic reprogramming

2013


 * A biomarker based detection and characterization of carcinomas exploiting two fundamental biophysical mechanisms in mammalian cells.

2009


 * Transketolase-like protein 1 (TKTL1) is required for rapid cell growth and full viability of human tumor cells.

2006


 * Expression of transketolase TKTL1 predicts colon and urothelial cancer patient survival. Warburg effect reinterpreted.

2005


 * Mutations in the transketolase-like gene TKTL1. Clinical implications for neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer.

2000


 * Functional characterization of DNase X, a novel endonuclease expressed in muscle cells.

1996


 * Molecular cloning of tissue-specific transcripts of a transketolase-related gene. Implications for the evolution of new vertebrate genes.


 * Isolation, differential splicing and protein expression of a DNase on the human X chromosome.