David Vilchez, a junior group leader of the CECAD Cluster of Excellence Cologne, was very successful in receiving one of the highly coveted ERC Starting Grants worth up to 1.5 million Euros. In the past years only 10- 15 percent of the applications have been funded. Dr. Vilchez uses innovative approaches to understand underlying mechanisms contributing to the aging process. The main goal of Dr. Vilchez’s research is to delay the loss of protein quality control associated to aging and age-related diseasesThe main focus of Dr. Vilchez’s research is to understand the loss of protein quality control during the aging process. Damaged and toxic proteins accumulate during the aging process, impairing cell function and tissue homeostasis. These perturbations to the quality of proteins contribute to age-related pathologies such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s or Parkinson’s disease. Dr. David Vilchez’s laboratory at CECAD uses an innovative approach based on a combination of human stem cell research with genetic analysis in a roundworm aging model to uncover new mechanisms for extending longevity and healthspan. Given the observation that embryonic stem cells replicate continuously in the absence of senescence, Dr. Vilchez hypothesized that these cells could provide a novel paradigm to study the regulation of proteostasis and its failure in aging. In his previous research, Dr. Vilchez found that embryonic stem cells have an incredible ability to degrade damaged proteins. Modulation of this degradation mechanism in an organism extends longevity and protect from the symptoms associated to Huntington’s disease.
The ERC Grant in funded by the European Commission and contributes to the awardee’s research costs over a period of 5 years. The ERC Starting Grant will allow Dr. Vilchez’s group to further investigate the impact of proteostasis in stem cells, aging and age-related diseases. By using this novel approach, the group of Dr. Vilchez will identify novel components of the proteostasis network. In addition to the financial aspect, the Grant is also a valuation of Dr. Vilchez’s research achievements and the CECAD vision to better understand the molecular aspects of the aging process.
The ERC Grant in funded by the European Commission and contributes to the awardee’s research costs over a period of 5 years. The ERC Starting Grant will allow Dr. Vilchez’s group to further investigate the impact of proteostasis in stem cells, aging and age-related diseases. By using this novel approach, the group of Dr. Vilchez will identify novel components of the proteostasis network. In addition to the financial aspect, the Grant is also a valuation of Dr. Vilchez’s research achievements and the CECAD vision to better understand the molecular aspects of the aging process.
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