On March 31, 2022, Dr. Franz Maximilian Matschinsky, M.D., peacefully passed away at home in Wallingford, PA. Franz lived 90 years, a long life filled with accomplishments. For over 60 years, he was passionate about his work as a scientist, ultimately leading to remarkable success and distinction in biochemistry and biophysics and publishing articles until the last months of his life.
Franz joins his beloved wife, Elke Matschinsky (née Fritz), who died on October 27, 2019. They met as students at the University of Munich in 1959 and married in 1962. Celebrating over 60 years together, Franz turned to the Latin expression “sine qua non” to describe her indelible mark on him. He probably would not have been as successful without her enduring companionship, friendship, love, and support. Their engaging conversations were essential to Franz’s continued growth as a person and long-lasting, powerful intellect.
Franz is survived by his children, Benno Matschinsky (Heidelberg, Germany), Tanja Matschinsky Ross (Larkspur, California), and Stephan Matschinsky (Basel, Switzerland) and siblings Benno Matschinsky (Hagen, Germany) and Rosel Habel (Breckerfeld, Germany). He was a much-loved grandfather to seven grandchildren, Samira, Maya, Miyu and Noah Matschinsky; Maximilian and Lucas Ross; and Elsa Matschinsky. He was preceded in death by his wife, Elke, his brother Konrad and parents Maximilian and Maria Matschinsky.
Franz was born on July 17, 1931, in Breslau, Germany. Although this bustling capital of Silesia boasted an ancient and important university, his weltanschauung was dominated by the tiny agrarian village nearby where he grew up – now called Brennik and situated within the borders of Poland. A regimented schedule of tending to the fields governed his family’s life where his parents were employed to manage a large estate with a Prussian rigor and efficiency. Perhaps unpredictably this left Franz and his siblings with a great deal of freedom to enjoy the thriving natural surroundings with little concern for academic excellence. Nostalgic by nature, Franz often reminisced about this modest background and always remained true to his roots. If the forces of history hadn’t dramatically upended this idyllic life, he may well have happily remained there to live a farmer’s life, far from the international academic circles where he later blossomed into a world-renowned scientist.
Barely surviving the horrible winter after WWII, Franz and his family escaped with their lives but in 1946 they were sent away from their home in Silesia and ended up as refugees in Westphalia. Luckily, this family tragedy also marked a new beginning for him. From that point on, he dedicated himself to his studies in the Werl Mariengymnasium (high school) graduating with his ‘Abitur’ in 1953. He then went on to graduate from Albert Ludwig University, Freiburg, Germany, with a B.S. in Basic Medical Science in 1955 and Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, with an MD in 1958.
Franz moved to the United States in 1963, to research under the mentorship of Dr. Oliver Lowry at the Pharmacology Department at Washington University in St. Louis. There, he laid the foundations for his groundbreaking research, studying the metabolism of the insulin-producing pancreatic islets and ultimately discovering the essential sensing role of glucokinase (GCK). Recognising the value of his contribution, Washington University soon offered him a tenure-track professorship allowing him to continue his work there until 1978. Ongoing investigations of glucokinase have been at the center of his contributions to understanding one of the fundamental aspects of human metabolism and possibly the most crucial metabolic disease, diabetes mellitus. His work has led to numerous scientific breakthroughs and will ultimately improve treatments for this prevalent disease.
Franz spent the rest of his career at the University of Pennsylvania, retiring in 2021 as Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism Perelman School of Medicine. During his tenure, Franz held the Chairs of the Diabetes Center and the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department and earned various prestigious titles, including the Benjamin Rush Professorship of Biochemistry. In addition, he received the Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement in 1995, and the Rolf Luft Award in 2020, two of the highest distinctions available in his field.
As the father of glucokinase research Franz had a positive impact on countless colleagues, collaborators and friends. As parents, he and Elke also had a wonderful influence on the lives of their children and grandchildren. They will be terribly missed by all those who had the chance to meet them.
A burial service for both Franz and Elke is scheduled for Thursday April 21, 2022 at 11:00AM at the Washington Memorial Chapel Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the following organizations: