Nicolas Thomä

Structural tumour biology

A major hallmark of cancer cells is their inherent genomic instability. Incomplete DNA repair and replication initiate tumors and in addition accelerate the malignant transformation process. Surprisingly, the machinery responsible for DNA maintenance is also intricately involved in defense against accelerated aging.
Our focus is on premature aging syndromes tightly linked to cancer and genomic instability. The protein complexes studied are involved in crucial cellular functions such as signaling cascades, telomere maintenance and DNA repair. X-ray crystallography combined with biochemical and biophysical techniques will be used to elucidate the structure and molecular workings of these macromolecular machines. This work is expected to shed light on fundamental biological processes, while at the same time providing novel therapeutic strategies for combating cancer and age-related ailments.

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FMI report pages for Nicolas Thomä

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Nicolas Thomä
Gabi Gruber