Recent Submissions
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Transaldolase from Thermoplasma acidophilum: new reactivities and applications in biocatalysi
(2025-06-27)In this PhD thesis, the enzyme transaldolase from the thermophilic organism Thermoplasma acidophilum (TacTAL) was studied from two related perspectives: its reactivity toward 5-carbon phosphosugars and its potential ... -
Multisensory integration of courtship song and taste in male Drosophila melanogaster social behavior
(2025-06-24)The integration of sensory information is essential for animals to effectively navigate and interact in their environment. For instance, the social life of male fruit flies is surrounded by various sensory modalities ... -
High-resolution morphometric analysis of synaptic vesicle formation
(2025-06-23)Synaptic vesicle (SV) biogenesis plays an important role in neurotransmission, yet the intricacies of SV formation remain a significant scientific challenge. In this PhD thesis, I seek to address both technical and biological ... -
Pharmacotherapeutic approaches against Plasmodium falciparum
(2025-06-23)Malaria tropica persists as one of the most impactful infectious diseases, threatening the health of nearly half of the world’s population every year. The disease is caused by Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum), a ... -
Mechanism, regulation and structure of human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
(2025-06-23)The human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (hPDHc) catalyzes the irreversible conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, linking glycolysis to the citric acid cycle - a central hub of cellular metabolism. This reaction proceeds ... -
Flexibility and optimization of neural codes in primate sensory cortex
(2025-06-18)Flexibility and efficiency are core characteristics of any intelligent system. We have a remarkable capacity to continually learn from the structure in the world, predict upcoming situations and flexibly respond in a ... -
Deciphering novel pathomechanisms initiating and maintaining atrial fibrillation
(2025-06-17)Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and AF burden is projected to rise in the next years. This may be partially attributed to limited efficacy of current antiarrhythmic therapies and interventions. A ... -
SNARE Cis-Reassembly: Investigating SNARE Interactions Post-Disassembly
(2025-06-16)Neurotransmitter release relies on the SNARE-mediated fusion of neurotransmitter-filled synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic plasma membrane. SNARE proteins from these opposing membranes interact to form a stable ... -
Inferring spreading dynamics of diseases and in neural networks
(2025-06-11)The rapid advancement in information technology over the past few decades has provided ample computational power and access to diverse data sources. In conjunction with recent inference methods, we can now examine the ... -
Structural and Mechanistic Interrogation of Fatty Acid Biosynthesis Machinery
(2025-05-22)Lipids are important molecules for vital functions in the cell, such as energy storage, membrane structure, cellular signaling, and metabolic control. Lipid metabolism is thus one of the central pathways of all living ... -
Protein Mobility in the Complex Physical Environment of the Synapse
(2025-05-22)Robust signal transmission between cells is vital for our daily lives. It relies on fine orchestration of many processes, particularly taking place at chemical synapses. Here, chemical reactions occur in precise order, ... -
Investigations of Signal-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Contrast Agents
(2025-05-22)The subject of this thesis is to extend the scope of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the visualization and characterization of metabolic activities. The inherent insensitivity of conventional MRI limits its applicability ... -
Computational Methods for Canonical and Noncanonical Peptide Identification in Immunopeptidomics
(2025-05-19)The presentation of peptides via the MHC-I pathway as signals to CD8+ T cells is an essential element of the adaptive immune system. Hence, effective identification of the peptides presented (i.e., the MHC-I immunopeptidome) ... -
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 with Nanobodies and Antibodies: Neutralization and Escape Variants
(2025-05-15)The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic revealed significant limitations in existing preventive measures against coronavirus infections. Before vaccines were approved, over 64 million infections and 1.6 million deaths were reported ... -
Investigating the Evolutionary History of Catarrhine Primates using Whole Genome Data
(2025-05-08)The aim of my PhD project is to investigate the evolutionary history and adaptive potential of diverse catarrhine primates using whole genome sequencing data, with a focus on Bale monkey (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) and ... -
Characterization of TMEM209, a transmembrane protein of the nuclear envelope
(2025-04-29)The nuclear envelope (NE) comprises the outer nuclear membrane (ONM) and inner nuclear membrane (INM), which are connected at the level of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). A variety of transmembrane proteins is found at the ... -
Characterization and Engineering of the 'Biocatalytic' Transketolase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus
(2025-04-24)Biocatalysis is the use of living organisms or their components to speed up chemical reactions, and is a powerful tool to enhance efficiency and sustainability in manufacturing processes. Carboligation, the formation of ... -
Molecular Physiology of Synaptic Sound Encoding
(2025-04-10)Cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) of the auditory system form specialised chemical synapses called ribbon synapses with type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). These synapses encode sound information into neural signals for ... -
Optimal Control Methods for Biomolecular NMR Spectroscopy
(2025-04-04)Bio-molecular NMR studies are usually limited by the sensitivity and resolution, especially for concentration limited samples such as IDPs, in-cell samples and metabolomics studies, etc. Hence it is essential to use a ... -
Cortical PV and VIP neurons are necessary for texture discrimination performance of freely behaving mice
(2025-03-27)Rodents gather information about their surroundings through their whiskers, enabling them to differentiate textures, recognize objects, and navigate. Each whisker is represented in the barrel cortex (S1BF) by a single ...