Molecular Biology of Cellular Stress Responses

The central research focus of our group is the signal transduction of autophagy. This cellular process was already described in the 1960s, but the molecular characterization of autophagy has only occurred in the last 20 years. Autophagy describes the process of cellular "self-digestion" that can be induced under stress conditions. These conditions include nutrient deprivation, growth factor deprivation, infection with intracellular pathogens, or protein aggregations. Accordingly, autophagy and its dysregulation are involved in various pathophysiological processes, e.g. cancer, neurodegenerative diseases or infectious diseases. Our preclinical research is currently focused on the areas of oncology, infectiology and neuronal development. Collectively, we try to establish the modulation of autophagic processes as a therapeutic intervention.