SFB 1381 PI Claudine Kraft (project B10) and her partners from Vienna and Berkeley have received an esteemed ERC Synergy Grant. Over six years, they will receive a total of €10 million for their project “DegrAbility: On the Degradability of Protein Aggregates by Autophagy.”
Autophagy is the cellular process that removes protein aggregates and other large components. In neurodegenerative diseases and aging, however, this process becomes impaired, causing aggregates to accumulate and resulting in cellular damage.
Through the DegrAbility project, the researchers aim to understand how the autophagy machinery interacts with aggregates in detail and what determines whether they can be removed. This knowledge could help improve autophagy in aging and neurodegenerative conditions.
More information about the project can be found in the University of Freiburg’s press release.
Congratulations, Claudine!
