Background

The human mTOR signaling pathway serves as the maestro orchestrating cellular activities, overseeing and directing pivotal processes like cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, and survival. Functioning as an adept molecular switch, it seamlessly regulates essential functions, maintaining the delicate balance of cellular homeostasis. Dysfunctions in this pathway have been implicated in a spectrum of diseases, spanning from cancer and neurodegenerative disorders to metabolic syndromes and autoimmune diseases. 

At the molecular level, dynamic interactions among proteins and their ligands play a key role in receiving, processing, and transmitting these crucial signaling information. Unveiling the mysteries of underlying mechanisms of human diseases necessitates visualizing these dynamic interplays with high temporal and spatial resolution. Cryo-Electron Microscopy, a revolutionary technology in structural biology, has recently emerged as a potent tool, allowing the exploration of complex structures in their natural state and providing unprecedented insights that were previously elusive. 

Bridging Excellence Fellowship for Maximilian Wranik

“In my capacity as a Life Science Alliance bridging excellence postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, I am poised to synergize the skills and expertise of the Rogala laboratory at the Stanford Cancer Institute with the methodological and engineering prowess of Gergely Papp’s Instrumentation Team at EMBL Grenoble. Together, our aim is to transcend existing boundaries, pushing the frontiers of what is deemed possible today and gaining a profound understanding of how dysfunctions in the mTOR signaling pathway give rise to diseases.”

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