Mechanisms of Disease
One of the foundations for targeting a disease - in both preventive and curative medicine - is the understanding of the underlying molecular and pathological processes. In other words, what happens at the cellular and systemic (i.e., whole-body) levels in a given disease and how do these changes occur? The "workings" of a disease are often linked to molecular perturbations such as the disruption of specific gene or protein networks. In the long term, understanding these molecular perturbations allows for the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat a disease, e.g. in drug development.
The BioHealth research area "Mechanisms of Disease" uses different model organisms (baker's yeast, nematodes, fruit flies, human cell cultures, mice) to simulate human diseases and to investigate the pathological processes in cancer, cardiovascular and fatty liver diseases, neurological disorders and type 2 diabetes, but also during aging.
Currently, we are conducting research on the following topics:
- The building process of ribosomes, which control protein synthesis and are critical for rapidly dividing cells (such as cancer cells).
- The role of the amino acid homocysteine (involved in the intermediary metabolism of methionine) and homocysteine-associated metabolites in various age-related diseases.
- Changes in lipid metabolism and lipid distribution in cancer cells.
- Alteration of bacterial membrane structure/lipid metabolism in resistant pathogens.
- The basic machinery of regulated cell death, which is often suppressed in cancer cells and plays an important role in neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases.
- Metabolic alterations and metabolic disorders in old age as a risk factor of age-associated diseases.
- New prevention strategies and influence of sleep and sleep disturbances in models of Alzheimer's disease, for which there are no effective medications to date.
Mechanisms of Disease Team
Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Helmut Bergler
Phone:+43 316 380 - 5629
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:nach Vereinbarung
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7724-309X
Web: https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/de/arbeitsgruppen-bergler-pertschy/
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Clemens Diwoky
Phone:+43 316 380 - 1506, 1966
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:nach Vereinbarung
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7265-1142
Web: https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/en/core-facility-mri/
Assoz. Prof. Dipl.-Biochem. Dr.rer.nat. Tobias Eisenberg
Phone:+43 316 380 - 1499
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:nach Vereinbarung
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3559-1130
Web: https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/de/labor-tobias-eisenberg/
Univ.-Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Ronald Kühnlein
Phone:+43 316 380 - 5504
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:Sprechstunde nach vorheriger Anmeldung: Montags 11-12Uhr (optional auch über uniMEET)
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1448-4117
Web: https:// https://homepage.uni-graz.at/en/ronald.kuehnlein/
Univ.-Prof. Dr.rer.nat. Frank Madeo
Phone:+43 316 380 - 8878
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:Dienstag 13.00 Uhr bis 14.00 Uhr oder nach Absprache
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5070-1329
Ass.-Prof. Mag.pharm. Dr.rer.nat. Marion Mußbacher
Phone:+43 316 380 - 5565
Location:Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5346-6785
Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr.rer.nat. Brigitte Pertschy
Phone:+43 316 380 - 1518
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3558-0191
Web: https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/de/arbeitsgruppen-bergler-pertschy/
Dipl.-Ing. Dr.rer.nat. Sabrina Riedl
Phone:+43 316 380 - 4982
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2608-0753
Priv.-Doz. Dr.rer.nat. Oksana Tehlivets
Phone:+43 316 380 - 1995
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1650-5014
Web: http://yeast.uni-graz.at/
Assoz. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Dagmar Zweytick
Phone:+43 316 380 - 4988
Location:Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften
Opentimes:Dienstag 11:00 bis 12:00
ORCID iD: ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4766-7713