Cells must constantly balance and adjust the precise composition of their proteome in response to
external and internal cues. For many proteins, this requires matching their synthesis rates with the
size and growth rate of the cell. Read more
Keywords:
Supervisor: Dr. Kurt Schmoller
Group: Cell and Organelle Size Control
Institute: Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Center Munich
Collaborating supervisor: Dr. Matthew Swaffer
Group: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, Swaffer group (incoming group leader)
Institute: Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh
Fungal survival in harsh environments involves stress-sensing pathways that reprogram their
proteomes. New conditions, including climate change, can push opportunistic fungi to colonise
novel niches, potentially becoming harmful pathogens. Effective antifungal/fungicide treatments
are limited in number precisely because fungi are adept at resisting challenges. Read more
Keywords: single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics, mathematical modelling, computational biology, antifungal resistance development, heterochromatin-dependent epimutations
Supervisor: Dr. Maria Colomé Tatché
Group: Computational Epigenomics
Institute: Institute for Computational Biology , Helmholtz Center Munich
Collaborating supervisor: Dr. Robin Allshire
Group: Allshire Lab
Institute: Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences,
University of Edinburgh
Translocation t(4;11) drives highly aggressive MLL-AF4 (KMT2A-AFF1) positive acute
leukemias, associated with poor prognosis. Due to the aberrant fusion of the two epigenetic
regulators, MLL and AF4, and recruitment of their associated complexes, MLL-AF4
positive leukaemia is characterized by multiple epigenetic changes which drive the
malignant disease. MLL is a positive regulator of gene expression by mediating e.g. H3K4
methylation. Read more
Keywords: epigenetic changes in leukemia, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model, MLL-AF4, therapy development
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Irmela Jeremias
Group: Research Unit Apoptosis in hematopoietic Stem Cells
institute: Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich
Collaborating supervisor: Dr. Katrin Ottersbach
Group: Ottersbach group
institute: Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh
The emerging research field of ‘Epitranscriptomics’ tackles one of the next challenges for
molecular biology: the understanding of how modifications of RNAs affect the function of RNAs
and of their vital role in cellular homeostasis. Read more
Keywords: Epitranscriptomics, RNA modification, RNA methyltransferase, single cell analyses
Main supervisor: Prof. Dr. Robert Schneider
Group: Chromatin Dynamics and Epigenetics
Institute: Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Center Munich
Collaborating Supervisor: Prof. Donal O’Carroll
Group: RNA function in germ and stem cell biology
Institute: Center for regeneration and repair Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh
Glucocorticoids are widely prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of COVID-19,
asthma, sepsis and others. However, chronic and systemic treatment comes with severe adverse
effects like diabetes type 2, obesity, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy etc. Read more
Keywords: Glucocorticoid Receptor (GR), inflammatory gene expression, transcription dynamics, single cell, mathematical modeling
Main supervisor: Prof. Dr. Nina Henriette Uhlenhaut
Group: Division Molecular Endocrinology
institute: Institute for Diabetes and Endocrinology
Collaborating supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ramon Grima
Group: Grima Group, Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Institute: Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of
Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh