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Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center Signaling and Translation

The Research Unit (RU) “Signaling and Translation” (SAT) investigates how key cellular signaling pathways control health and disease. Our aim is to understand how physiological signaling maintains homeostasis and triggers efficient responses to environmental changes or immune challenges. At the same time, we elucidate how defective or aberrant signaling pathways are contributing to autoimmunity, inflammation, or cell death, which can trigger human pathologies such as diabetes and cancer. We fill the gap between basic science and clinical innovations by providing direct access to technologies and expertise that will foster translation of new discoveries into pioneering targeting strategies. Thus, in SAT we develop new therapeutic concepts to improve treatment of common and unmet medical needs.

The Research Unit (RU) “Signaling and Translation” (SAT) investigates how key cellular signaling pathways control health and disease. Our aim is to understand how physiological signaling maintains homeostasis and triggers efficient responses to environmental changes or immune challenges. At the same time, we elucidate how defective or aberrant signaling pathways are contributing to autoimmunity, inflammation, or cell death, which can trigger human pathologies such as diabetes and cancer. We fill the gap between basic science and clinical innovations by providing direct access to technologies and expertise that will foster translation of new discoveries into pioneering targeting strategies. Thus, in SAT we develop new therapeutic concepts to improve treatment of common and unmet medical needs.

About Our Research

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Signaling in Health and Diseases

Signaling pathways are ensuring the flow/transmission of information, which is essential for life of all organisms. In SAT, we decode physiological signaling pathways, which decode cell-to-cell and environment-to-cell communication to maintain homeostasis and to allow rapid responses to environmental changes. Focus areas cover molecular pathways for immune activation and cell death. All human diseases are associated with deregulations in cellular signal transduction and we determine which exact perturbation are leading pathological signaling.

Identifying ‘Achilles Heels’ in Signaling

Dysregulations of signaling pathways, which cause diseases, open new windows of opportunities for pharmacological intervention. By using state of the art technologies such as specific gene editing, genome-wide transcriptomics and proteomic profiling, we decipher such disease-causing vulnerabilities (‘Achilles heels’), which can serve as starting points for clinical translation.

Biomarker Discovery for Diagnostic and Prognostic Purposes
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Clinical Translation

While the past decades have seen tremendous progress in understanding signaling machineries, translation of these findings into clinical innovations is lacking behind. In SAT, we aim to overcome this gap by directly combining basic biomedical research, target identification, target validation and preclinical drug discovery. We use chemical biology and screening and develop small molecule or biologics for precision therapeutic approaches with the aim to improve treatments for cancer and immune diseases. In addition, we define biomarkers that allow prediction and monitoring of therapeutic responses.

Our Aims

  • analyze physiological signaling pathways for maintaining health
  • determine pathological signaling processes leading to diseases
  • define key targets for therapeutic intervention
  • discover drug candidates for clinical translation

Research Groups

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Krappmann Group

Signaling and Immunity

The research aims to unravel cellular signaling pathways controlling immunity and inflammation.

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Martin Nink
Hadian Group

Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology

We study the mechanisms of Cell Death Signaling and translate these findings into future drugs using Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery approaches.

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Kieser Group

Viral Signaling and Targeting Strategies

We investigate the molecular basis of cell transformation by the latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), the primary oncogene of the human Epstein-Barr tumor virus (EBV).

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Schick Group

Genetics and Cellular Engineering

We are experts in genetic interrogation of medically-relevant cellular death pathways.

Our Scientists at the Research Unit Signaling and Translation

Prof. Dr. Daniel Krappmann

Director of the Research Unit Signaling and Translation / Group Leader Signaling and Immunity Profil anzeigen
Porträt Kayar Hadian

Dr. rer. nat. Kamyar Hadian

Deputy Director of the Research Unit Signaling and Translation / Group Leader Cell Signaling and Chemical Biology
Porträt Ina Rothenaigner

Dr. rer. nat. Ina Rothenaigner

Postdoc Hadian Lab
Porträt Christian Pütz

Christian Pütz

Technical Assistant, IT Administrator Hadian Lab

Franziska Ober

Doctoral Researcher Krappmann Lab
Portrait Kristina Herdt

Kristina Herdt

Technical Assistant Krappmann Lab
Porträt Arnd Kieser

Prof. Dr. Arnd Kieser

Group Leader Viral Signaling and Targeting Strategies
Vera Kühne

Vera Kühne

Assistent to the Director

Dr. Andreas Gewies

Postdoc Krappmann Lab

Juliane Tschuck

Doctoral Researcher Hadian Lab
Porträt Susanne Pfeiffer

Susanne Pfeiffer

Technical Assistant Schick Lab
Porträt Joel Schick

Dr. Joel Schick

Group Leader Genetics and Cellular Engineering
Portrait Iden Jakob

Iden Jakob

Secretary
Porträt Constanze Sixt

Constanze Sixt

Doctoral Researcher Krappmann Lab

Raffael Balkeny

Master Student Hadian Lab

Marina Qiu

Lab Manager Schick Lab

Alice Randon

Master Student Kieser Lab

Dr. Shuwen You

Doctoral Researcher Schick Lab

Dr. Borys Varynskyi

Associate Professor, Visiting Scholar Schick Lab

Srinark Chanikarn

Doctoral Researcher AG Schick

Jared Anderson

Doctoral Researcher Schick Lab

Hao Peng

Doctoral Researcher Schick Lab

Stefanie Brandner

Technical Assistant Hadian Lab

Xin Yang

Doctoral Researcher Schick Lab

Dr. Kenji Schorpp

Postdoc Hadian Lab

Dr. Thomas O´Neill

Postdoc Krappmann Lab

Carina Graß

Doctoral Researcher Krappmann Lab

Fabian Giehler

Postdoc Kieser Lab

Katrin Demski

Technical Assistant Krappmann Lab

Christine Wolf

Technical Assistant Kieser Lab

Bahareh Nemati Moud

Postdoc Krappmann Lab
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