
Nenad Blau is a Senior Consultant in Biochemical Genetics at the University Children's Hospital in Heidelberg, Germany, and Professor in Biochemistry and Metabolic Disorders at the University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Prof. Blau received his master’s degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Zagreb, Croatia and he completed his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Zürich. Previously, he was the Head of the Laboratory for Tetrahydrobiopterin and Neurotransmitter Diseases at the University Children’s Hospital in Zürich, Switzerland. His research group discovered several inborn errors of metabolism, including guanosine triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase deficiency, pterin-carbinolamine dehydratase deficiency, and sepiapterin reductase deficiency. He established and curates the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) locus-specific database, BIOPKU database of phenylketonuria (PKU) genotypes, and database of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) deficiencies. With colleagues from Vancouver (BC, Canada), he developed the online knowledgebase of inborn errors of metabolism (IEMbase).
His current research focuses on interactions between PAH variants and DNAJC12, genotype-phenotype correlation, and genotypic phenotype prediction in PKU.
Prof. Blau is an honorary member of the Italian Society for Pediatrics. In 2001, he received the Horst Bickel-Award for his research in the field of BH4 and PKU, in 2005 the Gowland Hopkins Award, and in 2011 the Asbjørn Følling Award.
Prof. Blau is author of more than 400 research publications, including the standard text books Physician's Guide to the Laboratory Diagnosis, Treatment and Follow-up of Inherited Metabolic Diseases, and Laboratory Guide to the Methods in Biochemical Genetics.
Disclosure of faculty relationships
Nenad Blau declared to be member of Merck Serono Germany advisory board.