Sakmann, Bert (1942– )

German cell physiologist who was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1991 with Erwin Neher for their discovery of how gatelike structures (ion channels) regulate the flow of ions into and out of cells. They also determined the role of the neurohormone beta-endorphin.

In 1976 Sakmann worked with Neher to develop a technique called the patch-clamp technique, which greatly enhanced the ability of researchers to measure the electrical activity of nerves and revolutionized the study of ion channels in membranes.

Using the patch-clamp technique Neher and Sakmann also investigated the role of beta-endorphin. Beta-endorphin is a neurohormone which is secreted by the pituitary gland and reaches all body tissues carried in the blood. It is a peptide opiate that has been found to play a clinical role in the perception of pain, behavioural patterns, obesity, diabetes, and psychiatric disorders. They demonstrated that beta-endorphin acts not only to regulate the release of neurotransmitter substances by nerves in the brain, but also, via calcium channels, on the walls of the arteries of the brain.

Sakmann was born in Stuttgart and trained as a doctor at the University of Stuttgart. He currently heads the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg.