Research Award

Roland Beckmann and his international research team have received a Synergy Grant, one of the most prestigious research awards presented by the European Research Council (ERC). The highly competitive grant supports pioneering projects that can only be achieved through the interdisciplinary collaboration of two to four teams of researchers and that lead to “advances at the frontiers of knowledge.” Each project may receive up to 10 million euros in funding for a period of up to six years. 

Roland Beckmann is Professor of Biochemistry at the Department of Chemistry / Gene Center Munich and a member of the Excellence Clusters NUCLEATE and BioSysteM. His research focuses on fundamental processes of life, with a particular interest in the structure and function of ribosomes, the protein factories of the cell, and how these vital cellular machines influence health and illness.

The assembly of new ribosomes is a tightly regulated process which has scarcely changed over the course of evolution and is necessary for the growth of all living beings. Successful ribosome production requires the coordinated action of hundreds of cellular factors, including so-called small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNPs). Human snoRNP defects or alterations in snoRNP expression are linked to bone marrow disorders, neurodegeneration, and cancer. “We recently discovered that a specialized class of snoRNPs play central yet underappreciated roles in ribosome assembly,” says Beckmann. These assembly-promoting (ap-)snoRNPs possess unique components which empower each snoRNP to guide a specific step of ribosome assembly. However, their structure and mechanism of action are virtually unknown.

Roland Beckmann

In his consortium snoOPERA (Beyond Modification: Defining Hidden Roles of snoRNPs in Ribosome Assembly), which has been awarded around 10 million euros in funding, Beckmann has teamed up with Professor Brigitte Pertschy (University of Graz), Dr. Antony Henras (French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)), and Professor Sara Woodson (Johns Hopkins University) to close this gap in our knowledge. The researchers will integrate various cutting-edge technologies in order to characterize ap-snoRNPs from yeast and humans. This will involve determining their components and 3D structures, defining their biological functions, and unraveling the physical mechanisms by which they promote ribosome assembly. “With our findings, we want to open up new insights into the role of snoRNPs in ribosome assembly and help elucidate their significance for human health and disease,” explains Beckmann.

For more information about Roland Beckmann and his research, please visit the Beckmann lab website.