Braun Lab
All classes of cellular RNAs are subject to direct and post-transcriptional modification. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) specifically recognize many of these modifications and consecutively influence RNA stability, alternative splicing, location and decay. There is emerging evidence that both developing tissues and cancer cells utilize these ‘epitranscriptional’ processes to orchestrate gene expression profiles in a coordinated fashion (Braun and Hemann, Curr Opin Genet Dev, 2019).
Not surprisingly, core ‘epitranscriptional’ regulators such as splice factors are frequently subject to mutation in cancer. We have previously found that the splicing rate of specific introns contributes to gene expression orchestration in both physiology and cancer. Intriguingly, this process represents a targetable vulnerability (Braun et al., Cancer Cell, 2017).
Our lab is interested in deeper characterizing this observation and in systematically analyzing the role of post-transcriptional RNA biology in childhood cancer.
We are trying to understand what mechanisms are employed by childhood cancers to fuel their oncogenic signaling machinery. In order to do so, we employ state of the art model systems for pediatric tumors, high-throughput CRISPR and RNAi screens, comprehensive analyses of transcriptional landscapes as well as customized experimental pipelines for the establishment of biomarker profiles. We have successfully applied these experimental systems to several disease entities such as brain cancer, lymphoma and leukemia in the past.
Our group is particularly interested in discovering and characterizing new targetable vulnerabilities to advance the therapy of pediatric nervous system tumors such as glioma and neuroblastoma, but are also eager to collaborate on applying our screening technologies to biological questions far away from molecular oncology.
Andres Carbonell Adames, M. Sc.
Doctoral Researcher (PhD track)
M.Sc. LMU Munich, B. Sc. Penn State, U.S..A
✉ Andres.Carbonell@med.uni-muenchen.de
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
Dorothea Mock, Cand. med.
Doctoral Researcher (MD track)
✉ dorothea.mock@med.uni-muenchen.de
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
Daniel Schäfer, Cand. med.
Doctoral Researcher (MD track)
Jointly supervised with Kimberly Stegmaier
at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Harvard Medical School
Liana Gahleitner, Cand. med.
Doctoral Researcher (MD track)
✉ Liana.Gahleitner@med.uni-muenchen.de
Room: K0.31
Heidi Noll-Puchta, VTA
Technician & Lab Manager
✉ Heidi.Noll-Puchta@med.uni-muenchen.de
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
Satyendra Kumar, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
PhD Karolinska Institute, Sweden
✉ satyendra.kumar@med.uni-muenchen.de
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
Annika Danker, Cand. med.
Doctoral Researcher (MD track)
✉ Annika.Danker@med.uni-muenchen.de
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
John Ku, B. Sc.
Master Thesis Student
B. Sc. California State Polytechnic University, USA
☎ 089-4400-54724
Room: K0.31
