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2013|14 Annual Report Fraunhofer IGB

38 Hugo Geiger Prize for Yannick Bantel Yannick Bantel from the Department of Molecular Biotechnol- ogy was awarded one of last year’s Hugo Geiger prizes at the the annual meeting of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s General Assembly for his diploma thesis “A protein-protein interaction analysis of the transcription factor Tup1p using the extended genetic code”. The thesis examines the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, which is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths in Germany every year. The pathogenicity of the fungus is caused, in part, by certain proteins and their interaction mechanisms, and while many of the proteins are known, little has been known – to date – about their interac- tions. Bantel used the method of the expanded genetic code for his research, inserting an unnatural amino acid into the genetic code of Candida albicans. In this way, it is possible to manu- facture tailor-made proteins that do not occur in nature. Using this method, the young scientist was not only able to detect protein-protein interactions in living organisms, but also identified previously unknown interactions, and did so with high specificity and efficiency. His analyses form an important basis for the development of potential therapeutics and are evidence of the potential of the expanded genetic code for medical and industrial biotechnology. Appointment of Petra Kluger at the University of Reutlingen Dr. Petra Kluger, one of the two heads of the Fraunhofer IGB Cell and Tissue Engineering department and manager of the department’s Biomaterials and Test Systems group, accepted APPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS 1 HIGHLIGHTS 2013 1 a professorship at the Reutlingen University on November 1, 2013. She is to hold a so-called “shared professorship”, which gives her the option of working in parallel at the university and at a research institute. Dr. Kluger is taking over a series of lecture on tissue engineer- ing on the Biomedical Sciences bachelor’s course in the Facul- ty of Applied Chemistry in Reutlingen. The aim of this course is to produce chemical engineers with a biomedical specializa- tion; the focus is on biomaterials and their characterization and interaction with the biological system. Besides her expert knowledge, Kluger can above all contribute her practical ex- perience as a long-time associate lecturer at the universities of Stuttgart and Hohenheim. Last year she was awarded the VDI (Association of German Engineers) Ring of Honor particularly for her commitment to supporting young scientists in both practical and academic matters. At the Fraunhofer IGB, Dr. Kluger focuses on the interaction of human cells with biomaterials, which is essential for medi- cal and biological applications such as the optimization of implants or cell culture substrates. Both partners benefit from the enhanced cooperation – the university through increased access to the practical, applied Fraunhofer research, the Fraunhofer IGB from new impulses and research conducted by the students, who represent the next generation of scientists. Susanne Bailer becomes a private lecturer (“Privatdozent”) at the University of Stuttgart After completing a higher doctoral degree in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of the Saarland, Homburg, in 1985, Susanne Bailer subsequently

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