About the project
This project focuses on the interactions between protein condensates (formed from alpha-synuclein, synapsin, and TDP-43) and biomembranes, specifically how these interactions affect membrane permeability. A synthetic cell system will be developed to replicate neuronal cells, creating highly controlled models of neurodegenerative cells. In this system, the interactions between membranes and condensates will be studied to understand their role in regulating membrane permeability in neurodegeneration and inflammation. Importantly, the results from the synthetic cell models will be compared to experiments conducted on living neuronal cells.
To achieve this, the project combines advanced molecular engineering techniques with cutting-edge neuronal cell culturing technologies, along with RNA sequencing and proteomics assessments. Key techniques will include advanced fluorescence microscopy (SIM, light sheet, STED, LSCM), electron microscopy, immunoprofiling, flow cytometry, and 3D cell culturing.
The project will also involve secondments at the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces (Dimova Group) and the University of Groningen (Bert Poolman). For more information on the research interests of the Staufer Group, visit their website: Staufer Lab.
Selected References
- Burgstaller A., Piernitzki N., Küchler N., Koch M., Kister T., Eichler H., Kraus T., Schwarz E., Dustin ML., Lautenschläger F., Staufer O.* (2024) Soft Synthetic Cells with Mobile Membrane Ligands for Ex Vivo Expansion of Therapy-Relevant T Cell Phenotypes. Small DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401844
- Hakami N., Burgstaller A., Gao N., Rutz A., Mann S., Staufer O.* (2024) Functional integration of synthetic cells into 3D microfluidic devices for artificial organs-on-a-chip. Advanced Healthcare Materials DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202303334
- Hernandez J.#, Staufer O.*#, Ostertag T., Mersdorf U., Platzman I.*, Spatz JP.* (2022) Bottom-up Assembly of Target-Specific Cytotoxic Synthetic Cells. Biomaterials 285, 121522 #shared first authorship
Doctoral Candidate: Marion Voide
Marion received her Bachelor’s from the University of New Caledonia, where she is from, and her Master’s degree from the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1. In the second year of her Master’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology, she specialized in Immunology.
During her master’s thesis internship in Charles Dumontet and Lars Petter Jordheim’s group (Oncopharmacology team, Lyon Cancer Research Center), she participated in the development of 3D bioprinted tumor models suitable for in vitro immunotherapy testing.
Hosted by:
Oskar Staufer
INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, Germany
Immuno Materials Research Group,
stauferlab.com
