PERICO aims to train a new generation of highly qualified ESRs with entrepreneurial competencies in modern Life Sciences through state-of-the-art research projects focusing on the communication between peroxisomes and the rest of the cell – required to enable optimal metabolic decisions – and to use this knowledge to develop novel leads for drug discovery and therapies for a growing list of serious human diseases in which peroxisomes have been implicated.

Peroxisomes are key metabolic organelles, which must communicate and interact extensively with their environment to exchange metabolites and coordinate cellular responses. Membrane contact sites, where membranes of two organelles are physically tethered to enable rapid transfer of small molecules, enable organelle communication and are crucial for coordination of cellular functions and hence human health. Research on contact sites and transport proteins is a challenging, upcoming field in current cell biology.

The PERICO programme will exploit recent developments in high throughput and genome wide screening technologies, combine these with modern molecular cell biology and systems biology and ultimately translate the data into new leads for drug discovery and therapy. This specific cross-disciplinary training program will educate young scientists to a next level, which is needed to advance this research field for the upcoming decennium and to efficiently translate findings into applications. The training programme will be complemented with a complete set of transferable skills.

 

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