24.03.2015

ERC Consolidator Grant for Thorsten Stafforst

€1.8m for research into artificial riboproteins

The European Research Council has granted Dr. Thorsten Stafforst of the Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry €1.8m over five years to pursue the project “Site-directed RNA Editing to Manipulate RNA and Protein Function” (RNArepair) Stafforst’s working group is taking a new approach to forming artificial riboproteins in living cells. Riboproteins make it possible to alter genetic information in a targeted way by chemically modifying selected RNA molecules.

The resulting artificial riboproteins can be used in many areas of basic research in the life sciences: By targeted alteration of RNA, researchers can create mutations in individual genes. This “RNA editing” enables more detailed study of certain diseases and may make it possible to tackle genetic conditions at the root cause. It can also be used as a tool for manipulating general protein functions and RNA processing - for instance, localizing various proteins within cells. The ERC grant will help the Tübingen researchers to develop tailor-made tools for various applications.

Dr. Thorsten Stafforst (born 1978) studied Chemistry in Göttingen, where he completed his doctorate in Bioorganic Chemistry. He conducted postdoc research at the ETH Zürich before coming to Tübingen in 2011 to head his junior research group at the Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry.

The ERC Consolidator Grant supports experienced junior researchers in building a research team and establishing an independent career. The aim is to support promising researchers and to promote new ideas in their fields of research. Each successful project is granted up to €2m over a maximum of five years.

Contact:

Dr. Thorsten Stafforst
University of Tübingen
Faculty of Science
Interfaculty Institute of Cell Biology
Phone +49 7071 29-75376
<link mail ein fenster zum versenden der>thorsten.stafforst[at]uni-tuebingen.de
<link http: www.ifib.uni-tuebingen.de research stafforst.html>www.ifib.uni-tuebingen.de/research/stafforst.html

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Public Relations Department

Dr. Karl Guido Rijkhoek

Director

Antje Karbe

Press Officer

Phone +49 7071 29-76789

Fax +49 7071 29-5566

antje.karbe[at]uni-tuebingen.de

<link http: www.uni-tuebingen.de aktuell>www.uni-tuebingen.de/aktuell

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