Towards understanding the molecular pathomechanisms of schizophrenia
Re-igniting the embers of molecular psychiatry and its applications to schizophrenia research
1. Structural biology and biophysical characterization of schizophrenia protein risk factor Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1)
2. Biochemical profiling and qNMR metabolomics as a diagnostic application for schizophrenia
Über
Welcome to the research group of “The Unmelodramatics”.
I am Abhishek and my group’s research activities revolve around comprehending the molecular basis of the psychiatric disorder schizophrenia.
We are studying the the influence of protein risk-fators using a variety of structural biology tools such as X-ray crystallography, solid-state NMR spectroscopy and electron microscopy to comprehend the 3D architecture of the schizophrenia protein risk factor called Disrupted-in-schizophrenia-1 (DISC1); at the same time we are combining bio-physical tools such as iso-thermal titration calorimetry and dynamic light scattering to study the thermodynamics and kinetics of DISC1 aggregation; and surface-plasmon resonance and bio-layer interferometry to study the interaction of DISC1 with other relevant risk factors namely the NUDEL proteins and Lis1.
Forschungsthemen
- Structural Biology
- Biophysics
- Metabolomics
- Big Data Analytics
Johannes Otten
Mahalakshmi Venugopal
Alumni
Sylvia Tandetzki – Hochschule Fresenius
Michelle Billig – University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
Lukas Rautenburg – Univeristaet Duisburg, Essen
Sophie Deselaers – Heinrich Heine Universitaet Duesseldorf; current address ETH Zurich