Project details

This project will focus on a E3 ubiquitin ligase linked to human diseases to understand its molecular and cellular functions. We are looking for students who are open to learning a broad set of skills and techniques that, dependent on the student’s interests, can include a combination of structural biology (crystallography, cryo-EM), biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology or proteomics. We are also aiming to develop novel high-throughput E3 ligase activity assays to enable efficient functional studies and drug screening.

The project aligns with other research projects in the lab, enabling a highly supportive research environment. 

About our research group

Ubiquitination is a post-translation modification, best known for directing proteins towards proteasomal degradation, but it actually regulates almost all processes inside the cell. 

The Lechtenberg lab is interested in E3 ubiquitin ligases, the enzymes that attach ubiquitin to a substrate. We aim to understand the role of E3 ligases in health and disease to ultimately find therapies against diseases including neurodegeneration, autoinflammation and cancers. 

We use a multi-disciplinary approach ranging from the molecular (structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics) to the cellular (cell biology, proteomics) to obtain a comprehensive multi-level understanding of E3 ligase biology. 

We also drive a multi-institute project to exploit the ubiquitin system with novel drug technology (protein degraders or PROTACs) that specifically degrades target proteins.