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05 October 2016
Her specialty deals with peptides, short segments of larger proteins. Under what conditions can they be inserted into a cell? This question will be the subject of the research of Dr. Andrea Barba-Bon in the coming two years at Jacobs University as the recipient of a stipend from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. “Everything that has a biological or medicinal effect has to penetrate the cell,” says the chemist. “Controlling this is the key to developing more efficient drugs or alternative therapeutic options.”
Normally, peptides do not pass through the outer cell membrane. Some of them, however, are so easily taken up by cells that they can even take along other molecules. The 29-year-old Spaniard wants to determine the factors that make this possible for a certain peptide. “The interest in this research is huge, since it helps to develop new drugs,” says Dr. Barba-Bon. The Humboldt Foundation promotes an intercultural dialog between foreign and German researchers through academic exchange. The stipends are highly coveted. “I was very excited and thrilled, when I found out that my application had been accepted,” explains Dr. Barba-Bon, who came to Jacobs University and Bremen from Universidad Politecnica de Valencia. Part of the stipend is a two-month language course, which she has already completed. At Jacobs University, the scientist is part of the research group of Professor Werner Nau, who is also Dean at the private university. People from more than 100 countries study, teach, and research at the English-language Jacobs University; the research group of Professor Nau is also international. Dr. Andrea Barba-Bon: “Working with all these people from different cultures and being able to learn from them is a great opportunity to grow, both professionally and personally.” Additional information:http://wernernau.user.jacobs-university.de/
Questions will be answered by:Professor Werner Nau | Professor of Chemistry and Deanw.nau [at] jacobs-university.de | Tel.: +49 421 200-3229
