Two CSSB PhD Students Receive Thesis Prize
Congratulations to Dr. Enrico Caragliano from the Bosse group (MHH) and Dr. Janine-Denise Kopicki from the Uetrecht group (UzL) who both received an award last week for having one of the best theses of 2023/2024 in the Department of Chemistry at the Universität Hamburg. The prizes were given by the department’s Friends and Sponsors Association "Freundes - und Förderverein Chemie der Universität Hamburg e.V."
Janine’s thesis entitled “From MHC characterization to screening approaches” explores the stoichiometry and dynamics of in major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) proteins which alert the immune system to the existence of foreign substances and trigger an initial immune response. She developed a novel high-throughput peptide screening approach for MHC class I epitopes using native MS which has the potential to help accelerate drug discovery and vaccine development.
Enrico’s thesis entitled “"HCMV uses phase separation of UL112-113 proteins at viral genomes to facilitate viral replication" takes a look at the replication compartments of the Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) which in immunocompromised patients and newborns, can lead to serious disease that affects different tissues and organs. He demonstrates that HCMV uses specifc proteins (UL112- to generate) replicaiton comparments around viral genomes to ensure the formation of an environment that promotes viral DNA replication.
Both Janine and Enrico will remain at CSSB as postdoctoral researchers.
Links to the theses:
Janine’s Thesis
Enrico’s Thesis
Related News Stories:
Human Cytomegalovirus: Phase-separated compartments support replication
New Method Reveals Mechanisms of the Immune System
