News from the Institute

An international team around IBC2 and BMLS group leader Alexandra Stolz just published a study in Journal of Molecular Biology that sheds light on signaling routes that activate individual autophagy pathways. Utilizing a well-characterized chemical library, they systematically screened connections between G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and autophagy, a crucial cellular process involved in maintaining cell health and responding to stress. Autophagy helps degrade and recycle cellular components, and its dysfunction is linked to various diseases, including cancer, cardiomyopathy and metabolic disorders.

IBC2 Director Ivan Đikić ranked #7 in Germany and #141 in the world on Research.com’s 2024 list of ‚Best Molecular Biology Scientists‘. It is inspiring to see him recognized among this group of pioneering researchers in the field.

Today, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that the transregional CRC on functionalisation of the ubiquitin system against cancer (UbiQancer) will be funded with € 18 M for the next four years. The CRC/TRR is coordinated by Technical University Munich (speaker: Prof. Florian Bassermann) with Goethe University Frankfurt and Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg as co-applicant universities, and Universities of Kiel and Mainz, Helmholtz Munich, and the MPI of Biochemistry in Martinsried being involved as partners.

IBC2 Group leader Alexandra Stolz has been selected to become part of the AIM Council of International Rising Stars Program and an affiliate member of The AIM Center.
The Autophagy, Inflammation, and Metabolism Center of Biomedical Research (The AIM Center) is an NIH-funded center established on September 1st, 2017. The Center intends to promote autophagy research and international collaborative efforts, as well as help building the next generation of autophagy scientists.

A new class of molecular glue could pave the way for a new generation of drugs to target cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.