Warburg

WARBURG, Otto (Otto Warburg), outstanding German biochemist, director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Biology in Dahlem, near Berlin. Known for his works in the field of biological oxidation processes, concerning energetics, assimilation, etc. According to Warburg's theory, the main catalyst of oxidation processes is iron, located in a specific organic compound in every animal cell and activating O₂. Warburg's works establishing the fundamental difference between the metabolism of normal tissues and cancerous tumors received special attention: the predominance of oxidation processes in normal tissues and the predominance of glycolytic, i.e., anaerobic, processes in cancerous tumors (see Glycolysis). Warburg sees the cause of the appearance and development of cancerous tumors in a deficiency of O₂ in a given area of the body, causing a decrease in the viability of normal tissue and creating more favorable conditions for the development of cancer cells. This provides the basis for the therapeutic application of O₂ in cancer diseases. In methodological terms, the micromethod for determining gas exchange, developed by Warburg and now widely used, is of interest. The most important works of Warburg are collected in two books: "Uber den Stoffwechsel der Tumoren" (B., 1926); "Uber die katalytischen Wirkungen der lebendigen Substanz" (B., 1928).