Autophagy
Autophagy is a cytoplasmic renovation mechanism that causes degradation and clearance of macromolecules such as pathogens, defective organelles and protein aggregates.
Illustration: Autopaghy group
About the group
Autophagy was long considered a non-selective cell survival process, but more recently there is growing evidence that autophagy is an important tumor-suppressor and neuroprotective pathway.
It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms involved in its activation and regulation, but also identify the proteins required for recognition and targeting of the various autophagic cargo for degradation.
We use high-throughput siRNA screens, in combination with molecular, biochemical and cell biological assays, as well as model organisms, to identify such proteins.
Scientia Fellows host
This research group is a qualified host of the international postdoctoral fellowship programme Scientia Fellows.
Scientia Fellows is a fellowship programme in Health Sciences. It will support over 70 talented researchers, by advancing their scientific career and strengthening international research relations. The programme runs from November 2014.