Molecular cell biology of autophagy

Research opportunity for a postdoctoral clinical fellow in Sharon Tooze's lab.

Introduction

My laboratory studies autophagy, a fundamental homeostatic pathway operating within cells which keeps them healthy and protects them from stress.

Autophagy is a protective mechanism acting to reduce cancer, neurodegeneration and infection. Autophagy is also induced by nutrient deprivation, accumulation of damaged organelles and toxic proteins, or triggered by external stress, infection and inflammation.

Using a number of cell biological, biochemical and structural approaches we aim to understand the molecular details of this membrane-mediated pathway.  The goal of our research is to identify and understand proteins which regulate autophagy which can be used as future targets for manipulation of the autophagic response.