Dr Petra Beli joins IMB as research group leader

August, 2013.Dr Petra Beli has been granted a prestigious 1.5 million euro Emmy Noether Programme award from the DFG to establish a research group at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB). Here she will investigate how cells respond to DNA damage and maintain genome stability. These processes are vital to prevent premature ageing and diseases such as cancer.

The human genome is constantly damaged by exposure to environmental factors such as sunlight and various chemicals. As a failure to repair this damage can lead to a range of diseases, cells have a number of molecular mechanisms in place to repair damaged DNA. Dr Petra Beli has been granted a prestigious Emmy Noether Programme award from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) to study the cellular response to DNA damage. She will employ quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to investigate how histones and other chromatin-associated proteins are modified by ubiquitin during the process of DNA repair.

Before joining IMB, Dr Beli worked in the group of Prof. Chunaram Choudhary at the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Center for Protein Research in Copenhagen. Here she developed novel mass spectrometric methods that gave important insights into the scope and dynamics of protein phosphorylation and ubiquitylation during DNA damage signalling.

The Emmy Noether Programme supports outstanding young researchers, who have worked abroad, in establishing independent research groups at an early stage in their scientific career. The highly prestigious award will support Dr Beli’s research activities for the next five years.

Further details
Further information about Dr Beli’s research can be found at <link http: www.imb.de beli external-link-new-window external link in new>www.imb.de/beli. More information about the DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme can be found at <link http: www.dfg.de en research_funding programmes individual emmy_noether>www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/programmes/individual/emmy_noether. 

Institute for Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB)
The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a new centre of excellence in the life sciences which was established in March 2011. Research at IMB concentrates on three cutting-edge areas: epigenetics, developmental biology and DNA repair. The institute is a prime example of a successful collaboration between public authorities and a private foundation. The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has dedicated 100 million euro for a period of 10 years to cover the operating costs for research at IMB, while the state of Rhineland-Palatinate provided approximately 50 million euro for the construction of a state-of-the-art building. For more information about IMB please visit: <link http: www.imb-mainz.de>www.imb-mainz.de.

Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation
The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931-1991), a member of the shareholder family of the company Boehringer Ingelheim. With the “PLUS 3” Perspectives Programme and the Exploration Grants, the foundation supports independent group leaders, it endows the internationally renowned Heinrich Wieland Prize as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists. In addition, the foundation has endowed 100 million euro over a period of ten years to finance the scientific running of the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) at the University of Mainz. For more information about the foundation and its programmes, please visit <link http: www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de>www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de.

Press contact for further information
Dr Ralf Dahm
Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB)
Ackermannweg 4, D-55128 Mainz
Phone: +49-(0)6131-39-21455, Fax: +49-(0)6131-39-21421, Email: <link mail window for sending>press@imb.de

Press Release (<link file:1339 download file>PDF)