Ludwig Cancer Research is a global community of leading scientists pursuing innovative ways to prevent and control cancer. From basic research to clinical trials, in individual laboratories or as part of international teams, our researchers are tackling the hardest questions, spotting the connections and the possibilities. At Ludwig, we test our work against the one measure that matters — improving human health. Ludwig Cancer Research is a global community of leading scientists pursuing innovative ways to prevent and control cancer. From basic research to clinical trials, in individual laboratories or as part of international teams, our researchers are tackling the hardest questions, spotting the connections and the possibilities. At Ludwig, we test our work against the one measure that matters — improving human health.

I am a cell biologist with a primary interest in understanding how our cells safeguard the integrity of the proteins they manufacture, a process known as protein quality control. Eukaryotic cells carefully orchestrate protein biogenesis, trafficking, localisation, function, degradation and replenishment. In cancer, unfavourable microenvironments and increased biosynthetic demands create cell populations in which protein homeostasis is disrupted, leading to stress conditions normally sufficient to induce cell death. However, cancer cells often hijack and constitutively engage intrinsic, ameliorating stress response mechanisms; they can become more robust to unfavourable conditions and avoid cell death. The protein quality control mechanisms responsible for folding and degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) make important contributions to both basal and stress-induced capacity of the organelle. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms and essential components that maintain, restore and adapt ER homeostasis in cancer are key research themes of our group.