Protein Dynamics in Health and Disease

The International Graduate Program 'Protein Dynamics in Health and Disease' was part of the ENB initiative. It was initiated and was funded by the Government of the State of Bavaria from 2005 to 2013. It represents a close cooperative effort of the internationally renowned Ludwig- Maximilians-University of Munich and the Technical University of Munich with the Max Planck-Institute for Biochemistry in Munich-Martinsried. Leading laboratories in these institutes have sent elected students to the program to interact and benefit from each other.

The research of the students of this international graduate school specifically aims at the function and structure of proteins and has a special focus on their synthesis, folding and degradation. This area of scientific investigation is of outstanding interest in the post-genomic era. It has a strong impact on current biomedical research and our understanding of the molecular processes leading to human diseases.

The program encompasses a variety of related disciplines, in particular cell biology, biochemistry, structural biology, biophysics, biomedicine, molecular biology and genetics to address questions on the molecular processes underlying the synthesis, folding and degradation of proteins.

The main innovation in the structure of the program is the principle of self-organisation by the students which is supported by a scientific coordinator and the laboratories of the students.

The students organise a regular program of workshops, research seminars and research cluster meetings to encourage the sharing of ideas and transfer of experimental expertise among the participants of the program. The aim is to provide the students with a broad practical and theoretical training including personal knowledge of a wide variety of different techniques. In addition to the scientific education there are also possibilities to gain insights into related fields e.g. patent law, bioinformatics or scientific presentation and publication skills.

Since its establishment in 2006 numerous students have succesfully participated in the program and the program's quality is well-reflected in the scientific achievements of the individual students (see for instance the pulication record) and the various events organized in the recent years. These include seminars by renowned speakers and  a variety of workshops. Most notably the tradition of an annual seminar by a Nobel lauerate has been established and guest included Professores Blobel, Neher, Arber and most recently zur Hausen.

Dr. Kai Hell
Institut für Physiologische Chemie
Butenandtstr. 5
81377 München
Tel. +49 89 2180 77100
Fax +49 89 218077093
emailto: Dr.Kai Hell

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The Bavarian State Government’s new concept of top-notch higher education is a beacon for highly qualified students and the next generation of research scientists who are able and willing to aim high. In order to create an attractive alternative to top facilities around the world, Bavaria, has launched the Elite Network of Bavaria (ENB). One element of the ENB initiative are international doctorate programs - one of which is the program: "Protein dynamics in health and disease".

To read more about the ENB initiative please go to https://www.elitenetzwerk.bayern.de/