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Insight into mechanisms that maintain proteostasis and those that drive toxicity of aggregation-prone proteins is essential for the development of novel treatment modalities, novel diagnostics, and to ultimately improve protein health in ageing individuals, and patients of protein misfolding diseases. At the UMCG we believe that this complex network can only be understood by combining clinical and preclinical research. We will further enhance this collaboration in the research program Protein Health within the Development and Aging theme of Research Institute MoHAD.

The Protein Homeostasis program includes the following research areas:

  • Mechanisms of protein homeostasis from cell to organism, including chaperone functions and protein degradation
  • Protein translational control in development, aging, and disease
  • Pathophysiology of proteinopathies, including neurodegenerative diseases
  • Regulation of protein phase transitions in health and disease
Relevance

How our research benefits to society

In healthy cells, a complex quality control network operates to ensure the maintenance of protein homeostasis (proteostasis). Presence of mutations or other forms of stress can however push this system to its limits, and in some cases overwhelm it. This can result in in the accumulation of toxic aggregation-prone proteins inside or outside of cells. These processes are often accelerated by the age-dependent decline of protein homeostasis and the accumulation of damaged proteins.

Contact

University Medical Center Groningen
Research Institute MoHAD
Hanzeplein 1
9713 GZ Groningen
The Netherlands