Osnabrück University: Start of new project to research fat molecules

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An enzyme of lipid biosynthesis (lipid production) that is modeled into a cell membrane. | Quelle: Jennifer Sapia | Copyright: Jennifer Sapia | Download

From energy storage to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's - fats play an important role in the human body. Fats - known as lipids in technical jargon - form the basis of every cell and its outer shell, the membrane. In the human body, they are involved in processes in fatty tissue, nerve cells and the brain, among other things.

Fatty acids are particularly important for the production of lipids. "Fatty acids are the basic building blocks of lipids and are crucial for our health. However, we hardly know how cells activate and process them," says the project leader at Osnabrück University, Prof. Dr. Florian Fröhlich.

An interdisciplinary team from Osnabrück University and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland is now addressing this fundamental problem. Prof. Stefano Vanni's working group at the University of Fribourg is using so-called molecular dynamics simulations (MD simulations). These are computer-assisted experiments in which the temporal movement of atoms and molecules is tracked in a virtual system. The findings obtained from these approaches are then verified by Prof. Fröhlich's working group in biochemical experiments in the laboratory. "Only the combination of both approaches creates synergies that make it possible to elucidate the fundamental principles of fatty acid activation and its downstream metabolic processes and to show how activated fatty acids are integrated into different types of lipids," says Prof. Fröhlich.

The project is funded in almost equal parts by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) as part of the so-called Weave Lead Agency process. The Osnabrück University team will thus have a total of around € 275,000 at its disposal over three years.

Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Further information for the media:
Prof. Dr. Florian Fröhlich, Osnabrück University
School of Biology/Chemistry
E-mail: florian.froehlich@uni-osnabrueck.de

Weitere Informationen:
https://Working group of Prof. Florian Fröhlich: https://www.uni-osnabrueck.de/fb5/biologie/en/research/divisions-and-research-groups/bioanalytical-chemistry/research-profile-prof-dr-florian-froehlich
https://Prof. Stefano Vanni's working group: https://www.unifr.ch/bio/en/groups/vanni/