I am a postdoc in Jörgen Johansson's group. My goal is to find RNA structure altering compounds, that can be used as drugs to treat infections.
I studied biology back in Germany at the university Gießen. There I discovered a fascination for microbiology and for RNA regulation, thanks to Gabriele Klug. After my studies, I did my PhD in the lab of Franz Narberhaus, where I learned a lot about RNA structures and their importance for regulation, especially for virulence. Right after that I joined Jörgen Johansson lab at Umeå University in June 2023.
Here at Umeå, I want to use my knowledge in the RNA structure field to identify compounds that can bind to these RNA structures and ultimately suppress virulence, by preventing translation of key components. For this, we investigate the RNA thermosensor of prfA, which is an RNA structure that melts open upon entry into a warm-blooded host, allowing translation and thereby activating virulence at host temperatures. Furthermore, we investigate the viral frameshift element of HCoV-OC43 a close relative of SARS-CoV-2, which is another suitable RNA structure target. Inhibition of viral frameshifting was already shown to severely cripple Coronavirus infection.