PROteostasis Group of European New InvEstigators (PROGENIE)
Proteostasis
Proteins underlie numerous processes ranging from synthesis, folding, modification, trafficking, to degradation. The correct interplay of these affects is require for proteins to carry out their proper functions in cells. The overall process to keep all these functions in balance is called protein homeostasis (proteostasis). The proteostasis field includes aspects such as chaperones, the ubiquitin-proteasome system, autophagy, and stress responses. In the last years, proteostasis has become of particular interest due its key role in ageing and pathologies ranging from neurodegeneration to cancer.
PROGENIE
A couple of years ago, it became apparent that there is a lack of opportunity for new group leaders to discuss general topics specific to this career stage and to have a forum to discuss their recent results with an opportunity to gain advice from experts from the different areas of proteostasis. The result was the formation of the PROGENIE network (PROteostasis Group of European New InvEstigators). The group came to life with our first meeting of 13 young investigators in November 2017. This first group was largely recruited from the protein folding community and since has been gradually growing in size and scientific focus, now covering a wider part of proteostasis.
Activities
Our main activity is a yearly PROGENIE meeting organized by and for PROGENIE members only. There, everybody has a chance to present their research and to gain feedback (ranging from experimental suggestions to publication strategies), exposure, and to develop collaborations. In additions, we address topics important for new investigators regarding the field, science structures, grant opportunities, and strategies and advise for topics involved in setting up and running a laboratory. Resulting from these discussions, PROGENIE members published guidelines for early-career group leaders (doi:10.15252/embr.201847163).
In addition, it became clear that there is a need for training opportunities for graduate students and postdocs in the ever-growing proteostasis field. As a result, we initiated a biannual ‘Autumn School on Proteostasis’ with leaders in the proteostasis field and PROGENIE members offering presentations on review-like overviews on different aspects of proteostasis, conference-type updates on current research, and career advice. The schools offers opportunity to attendees to present their research projects and to meet leaders in the field and get their advice and input. We ran the first school in November 2018 in Croatia, which was a great success with a good atmosphere to network and to learn about proteostasis and science in general. Nicely, it resulted in four attending postdocs to write a review about the school. The second proteostasis school took place in 2021 and was named ‘Susan Lindquist School on Proteostasis’ in her memory. Funded as an EMBO/FEBS Lecture Course, the third School took place in 2023 in Ingelheim, Germany.
We are happy to announce the next Susan Lindquist School on Proteostasis, which will take place Sept 30 – Oct 3 2025 in Espoo, Finland.
Leadership
PROGENIE is co-chaired by Patricija van Oosten-Hawle and Christian Münch.
Become a member
We are looking for new investigators located in Europe with a visible track record in the proteostasis field and who are in the beginning of setting up their own laboratories. If you are interested in joining, please send an email to contact.progenie@gmail.com with a short paragraph about you and your research.
Current members
Claes Andréasson (Stockholm University, Sweden)
David Balchin (Francis Crick Institute, UK)
Ivana Bjedov (University College London, UK)
Marion Bouchecareilh (University of Bordeaux, CNRS, INSERM, France)
Piotr Bragoszewski (University of Warsaw, Poland)
Matthias Feige (Technical University of Munich, Germany)
Olivier Genest (Aix Marseille University, CNRS, France)
Paolo Grumati (Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Italy)
Elif Karagoez (Max Perutz Laboratories and Medical University of Vienna, Austria)
Anton Khmelinskii (Institute of Molecular Biology at Mainz, Germany)
Janine Kirstein (University of Bremen, Germany)
Anita Krisko (University Medical Center, Göttingen, Germany)
Christian Münch (Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany)
Natalia Rodríguez-Muela (DZNE-Dresden, Germany)
Rina Rosenzweig (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
Adrien Rousseau (MRC-PPU, UK)
Juha Saarikangas (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Rahul Samant (Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK)
Ritwick Sawarkar (MRC and University of Cambridge, UK)
Ruth Scherz-Shouval (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
Reut Shalgi (Technion, Israel)
Ayala Shiber (Technion, Israel)
Rebecca Taylor (University of East Anglia, UK)
Patricija van Oosten-Hawle (UNC Charlotte, USA)