Wollert

In autophagy, the process responsible for recycling waste in cells, molecular waste bags are produced. As now reported in Nature Communications, scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried have identified a molecular glue that sticks small lipid vesicles, the building blocks for the waste bags, together. Autophagy helps cancer cells survive chemotherapy treatment. This is why a glue inhibitor the scientists have recently identified could provide the basis for a new form of cancer treatment. more

With the Eppendorf Young Investigator Award, the Eppendorf AG honors outstanding work in biomedical research in collaboration with the scientific journal Nature. Thomas Wollert, group leader at the MPI of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, was selected by an independent Award Jury for his groundbreaking studies to reveal how fundamental cellular transport processes are coordinated at a molecular level. The biochemist receives the 20,000 Euro prize for identifying mechanisms that drive intracellular recycling pathways. The official award ceremony will take place at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, on June 25, 2015. more

The European Molecular Biology Organisation EMBO stands for Europe-wide cutting-edge research in life sciences. EMBO supports young talented researchers in their career and systematically stimulates national and international scientific exchange. Thomas Wollert, group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, is one of 27 young scientists who were announced EMBO Young Investigator 2015. As of January 2015, he will receive an annual financial award of 15,000 Euros for three years. more

When the refuse disposal service goes on strike, heaps of trash will pile up on streets and attract vermin like mice and rats. In a similar way, a cellular waste management system constantly picks up superfluous proteins and damaged organelles in human cells and delivers them to recycling facilities. However, if the cellular waste management system stops working, severe illnesses like Alzheimer´s disease or cancer may develop. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, recently revealed how a major cellular recycling system – autophagy – works. The results of the study have now been published in the research journal Cell. more