IMB welcomes Ulrich Hohmann as a new Group Leader

The Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) is delighted to announce that Dr Ulrich Hohmann is joining us as a new Group Leader. Ulrich comes from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology and Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria, where he worked as a postdoc. His new lab will study how cells control the export of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in both somatic cells and the germline, as well as how these mechanisms are hijacked during viral infections. 

In the cell, genes are transcribed into messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in the nucleus, and these must be exported to the cytoplasm before being translated into proteins. This nuclear export step is often overlooked, but it is essential for proper gene regulation. For example, cells can increase or decrease the expression of a gene by allowing or preventing the export of its mRNA. Ulrich is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that cells use to determine which RNAs to export, versus those which should stay in the nucleus or be targeted for degradation. 

As a postdoc, Ulrich has already authored high-impact publications in journals such as Nature, where he elucidated the molecular basis of key events that take place during mRNA export. Now at IMB, Ulrich will continue to uncover novel regulatory layers and protein interactors that influence mRNA export, and how they are linked to other cellular processes. In particular, Ulrich will investigate how the rules for mRNA export are bent in the special case of germ cells, where mRNAs may be transcribed long before they are translated, as well as for unusual RNAs such as piRNAs. He will also investigate how viruses interact with and hijack the mRNA export machinery to silence host defences and favour viral replication. 

Ultimately, Ulrich’s research will help advance our understanding of RNA biology and gene regulation, as well as how these mechanisms might be altered during viral infections and other diseases. 

_{Further details}

_{Ulrich Hohmann is a Group Leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB). Further information about research in the Hohmann lab can be found at www.imb.de/hohmann.}

_{About the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH} 

_{The Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) is a centre of excellence in the life sciences that was established in 2011 on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Research at IMB focuses on the cutting-edge fields of epigenetics, genome stability, ageing and RNA biology. The institute is a prime example of successful collaboration between a private foundation and government: The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has committed 154 million euros to be disbursed from 2009 until 2027 to cover the operating costs of research at IMB. The State of Rhineland-Palatinate has provided approximately 50 million euros for the construction of a state-of-the-art building and is giving a further 52 million in core funding from 2020 until 2027. For more information about IMB, please visit: www.imb.de.}

_{Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation}

_{The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to promoting 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 Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its funding programmes Exploration Grants, Plus 3, and Rise up!, the Foundation supports excellent scientists during critical stages of their careers. It also endows the prestigious Heinrich Wieland Prize and awards for emerging scientists. Additionally, it funds institutional projects combining AI and biomedicine, such as the AITHYRA institute in Vienna and a new research unit at the Center for Systems Biology in Dresden (BioAI Dresden). Other supported institutions include the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, both in Germany.} 

_{Press contact for further information}

_{Dr Ralf Dahm, Director of Scientific Management}

_{Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB), Ackermannweg 4, 55128 Mainz, Germany} 

_{Phone: +49 (0) 6131 39 21455, Email: press(at)imb.de}