Maria Sperrhacke

Consolidated Researcher Details:

Institute:
Department of Dermatology, University of Kiel
Research Area:
Proteases
Dr.
Maria Sperrhacke
msperrhacke [at] dermatology.uni-kiel.de
+49 (0) 431 / 500 - 21 332

Why this profession?

Already in school my favorite subject was biology. So I decided to study biology in Dresden. My major topics were genetics and microbiology. I completed my diploma by mutating the non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Afterwards, I went to Kiel to get more in to the field of cellular biology. As doctoral researcher I characterized two new discovered proteins in the skin. During that time I gained experience in cellular and molecular biology and became familiar with the metalloproteases ADAM10/17 and their regulation. This is a very interesting and important field because ADAMs are not only essential for development and homeostasis, but also for pathological processes as tumor progression or inflammation.

Why RTG Genes, Environment and Inflammation?

The regulation of  transmembrane ADAM proteases is of major importance. Misregulation ends in several diseases like atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease or tumour progression. In the RTG project we want to investigate the effect of various environmental factors on the ADAM regulation.