[JANUARY 09, 2020 / CHRISTINA ANDERS / MDC News ] The DFG is funding two new research projects at the MDC: More than half a million euros will be available to researchers* to study signalling processes of receptors.
Without them we would not be able to smell, taste, or see: G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) are located on the surface of cells throughout the human body and transmit signals, such as sensory stimuli, into the cell interior. They are important target molecules for the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients: About 30 percent of all prescription drugs act via GPCR.
At the end of last year, the German Research Foundation (DFG) approved a Collaborative Research Centre “Structural Dynamics of GPCR Activation and Signal Transduction” at the University of Leipzig. According to a spokeswoman of the University of Leipzig, this area contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the molecular processes occurring during signal transduction. The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg are also involved in the new Collaborative Research Center. It comprises 17 individual projects, including two that started on January 1, 2020 in the working group of Professor Martin Lohse at the MDC.
Three new PhD positions at MDC
Dr. Andreas Bock of the MDC and Professor Irene Coin of the University of Leipzig have been awarded the contract by the DFG to investigate the molecular processes of cellular signal processing. Another project at the MDC is led by the
Scientists Dr. Paolo Annibale and Martin Lohse. They hope to find out how the position of membrane receptors affects their function. The MDC project leaders have a total of almost 650,000 euros for four years at their disposal for their research work. The MDC is currently filling three new PhD positions, another PhD position is being created in Leipzig.
Further Information
https://www.mdc-berlin.de/news/news/grants-new-research-projects