In frame of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 877 „Proteolysis as a Regulatory Event in Pathophysiology“ a „Integrated Research Training Group: Proteases and Pathophysiology“ has been established and offers

10 MD-stipends per year

Prerequisite is the participation in the research of one of the scientific projects of the CRC 877. The general aim of the CRC 877 is to obtain a profound understanding of proteolytic processes in cellular regulation and signaling and to define the involvement of such processes in human pathophysiology. For example, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) needs to be cleaved in order to act systemically; we believe that this proteolytic cleavage is a key step in the development of inflammatory diseases. The goal of the CRC 877 is to define the molecular mechanisms regulating the proteolytic steps in signaling cascades and to understand the conceptional difference between proteolytic steps and other fast and reversible signaling events such as phosphorylation and methylation. This understanding will not only help to define pathophysiologic situations mediated by cytokines and growth factors but also to define points of intervention for the development of novel therapeutic principles.

contact: Prof. Dr. J. Grötzinger, Biochemisches Institut, CAU-Kiel. Email: jgroetzinger@biochem.uni-kiel.de