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About
Water is essential to life. 70% of the water in cells belongs to the hydration shells of proteins, lipid membranes or occupies protein cavities - so-called interfacial water. The difference in structure between interfacial water and bulk water gives rise to a key force in molecular biology: hydrophobic attraction. We do not fully understand how exactly this force contributes to protein folding, stability, structure, function, dynamics or membrane fusion.
WATER aims to train 16 PhD students to unravel the multiple roles of interfacial water in biological membranes. They will characterise water mobility and ordering inside membrane receptors, carrier proteins and channels, adjacent to their ligands and lipid bilayers, and in the reaction centres of membrane-bound enzymes, using a broad methodological spectrum including cryo-electron microscopy, simulations, light-spectroscopy and imaging. To assess the functional consequences of water confinement, they will analyze facilitated water and solute transport, chemical reactions inside proteins, ligand-protein interactions, the intraprotein H-bond network, and membrane fusion events, exploiting, e.g., electrophysiology and synthetic chemistry. The results will pave the way for the development of personalised, targeted therapies and more effective drugs and vaccines through improved binding and delivery. Biotechnological applications include artificial channels in biomimetic applications.
CONTACT:
For any queries about the project or the PhD positions, please contact us at
water(at)jku.at
WATER will bring together world-class theoreticians, experimentalists and computational scientists to provide multidisciplinary training in biophysics, molecular biology, medicinal and organic chemistry, structural and synthetic biology, advanced microscopy and computer science. Besides scientific excellence, WATER offers a cross-sectoral approach, involving industry from start-ups to large pharmaceutical companies, and soft skills training enhancing DC’s abilities to translate scientific discoveries and improve their employability.
Call for PhD researchers. , öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
1. Water Transport & Solute Interaction (DC1, JKU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Studies how solutes and water interact in transporters like SGLT1/SGLT2, focusing on water flux inhibition or facilitation.
2. Water in Membrane Insertion (DC2, JKU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Explores how water reduces energetic costs of protein insertion into membranes via translocons and the effect of dielectric permittivity.
3. Membrane Fusion Mechanisms (DC3, USAAR), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Simulates fusion between membranes and nanoparticles, focusing on water’s role in the energy landscape and fusion facilitation.
4. Permittivity in Protein Channels (DC4, UFCH), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Develops a tool to measure water permittivity inside protein channels using fluorescence and labelled proteins.
5. Artificial Water Channels (DC5, CNRS), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Creates synthetic water channels mimicking biological systems for applications in biomimetics and medicine.
Designs strategies to block or protect gland water channels during radioligand therapy.
7. 3D-Bioprinted Salivary Gland Model (DC7, ULB), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Builds a 3D bioprinted model to study AQP5 deregulation in Sjögren’s syndrome and test peptide-based therapies.
8. Proton Channel Function of STING (DC8, BI), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Analyzes STING protein’s proton channel function and ligand interaction through structural and functional studies.
9. Water in Drug Binding (DC9, UB), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Develops graph-based analysis and simulations to understand water-mediated drug binding in receptors and transporters.
10. Mitochondrial Water Dynamics (DC10, VMU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Investigates how confined water influences transport in mitochondrial carriers, using simulations and reconstitution.
11. Direct Water Flux Assays (DC11, KU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Measures water movement through various channels using fluorescence-based single-molecule techniques.
12. Hydration & Transport Selectivity (DC12, CAU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Explores hydration’s effect on substrate transport and drug binding in weak acid/base transport proteins.
Simulates two proton transfer mechanisms in ANT1 protein and their dependency on water and oligomerization.
14. Hydration at Lipid Interfaces (ADC1, EPFL), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Uses nonlinear optics to study hydration and ion effects on fusogenic lipid systems.
15. Hydration Shells in Nanodiscs (ADC2, EPFL), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Analyzes hydration shell asymmetry and dynamics around transporters in nanodiscs under ligand-induced changes.
16. Water as a Probe in Drug Testing (ADC3, ORYL), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster
Applies SH light scattering to replace chemical methods in pharmaceutical aggregation and solubility testing.
| Beneficiaries | Country | Scientist in charge |
| Universität Linz (JKU) | Austria | Peter Pohl |
| Universität des Saarlandes (USAAR), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Jochen Hub |
| Ústav fyzikální chemie J. Heyrovského AV ČR, v. v. i. (UFCH), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Czech Republic | Martin Hof |
| Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | France | Mihail Barboiu |
| ABX Advanced Biochemical Compounds (ABX), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Alexander Hoepping |
| Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Belgium | Christine Delporte |
| Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG (BI), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Herbert Nar |
| Universitatea din București (UB), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Romania | Ana-Nicoleta Bondar |
| Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien (Vetmeduni) (VMU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Austria | Elena E. Pohl |
| Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Belgium | Peter Dedecker |
| Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Eric Beitz |
| Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Paolo Carloni |
| École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Switzerland | Sylvie Roke |
| Oryl Photonics SA (ORYL), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Switzerland | Oryl Tarun |
| Partners | Country | Scientist in charge |
| Elements SRL (ELEMENTS), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Italy | Federico Thei |
| Keysight Technologies GmbH (KEYS), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Austria | Ferry Kienberger |
| PicoQuant GmbH (PQ), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | Felix Koberling |
| Chrometra Scientific BV (CHROM), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Belgium | Volker Leen |
| Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Germany | |
| Univerzita Karlova (CUNI), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | Czech Republic | |
| University Montpellier Iii Paul Valery (UM), öffnet eine externe URL in einem neuen Fenster | France |
