Stefan Rüdiger appointed as Professor of Protein Chemistry of Disease

Utrecht University has appointed Stefan Rüdiger as Professor of Protein Chemistry of Disease. Chemist Rüdiger and his group aim to tackle diseases that are caused by protein misfolding, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease. They focus on how chaperones, proteins that aid other proteins to fold into their proper shape, control protein quality. Using this knowledge, they want to develop drugs and treatment strategies that prevent the negative consequences of protein misfolding at the earliest stage. Proteins are molecular machines that run all vital processes in our cells, such as the metabolism, DNA replication or the transportation of molecules. For proteins to function properly, they first need to fold into their correct three-dimensional shape. If they fail to do so, proteins might disfunction or even become toxic. Also, misfolded proteins might interact with each other and form aggregates, which can also become toxic. Protein aggregates in the brain are associated with several fatal diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or Huntington's disease. Mimic protein machines. Chaperones are "protein machines" that help other proteins to fold into their native shape. In doing so, they help to control protein quality and to prevent the aggregation of misfolded proteins. Rüdiger: "We are trying to understand how these machines work at the molecular level. We want to use this knowledge to develop small compounds that mimic these natural machines, so that we can target these aggregates at the earliest stage possible." Progress. Diseases like Alzheimer's and Huntington's usually start later in life. In most people, protein quality control works properly when they are born. Rüdiger: "Why do we lose control over the fate of our proteins when we get older?