NEWS Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation continues its investment in young researchers. One of this year’s chosen professionals is Yaowen Wu, chemist at Max Planck Institute in Dortmund, Germany. He studies how cells recycle material, keeps clean and well-ordered – processes that, when they do not work can be linked to cancer, neurodegeneration and infectious disease. As a Wallenberg Academy Fellow, he will be active at Umeå University.
“It’s a great honour for me to be awarded a Wallenberg Academy Fellow. I feel excited that my research work is recognised by a prestigious young researcher programme in Sweden. This programme is investing in research leaders of the future. Sweden is already well-known for the high quality of research, and investing in young scientists will keep the country's success up and running.”
The grants amount to between SEK 5 and 9 million per researcher over a five-year period depending on subject field. After the first period, researchers are able to apply for a further five years of funding.
“I’m happy to hear that Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation appointed Yaowen Wu as this year’s Wallenberg Academy Fellow. The Foundation’s investment in younger researchers is incredibly valuable, both for the development of the individual and for the environment at the University. Yaowen Wu, with his background and research specialisation, will fit in well at the Department of Chemistry,” says Hans Adolfsson, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
Yaowen Wu studies how the recycling and cleaning processes of living cells work. Our cells are good at recycling material and clean up junk and invaders. When for instance proteins aggregate erroneously, or when pathogens invade hosts, something called autophagosomes deal with them. These autophagosomes then join up with the cell’s recycling centre, the lysosome, which breaks down the waste into building blocks that can be reused in the manufacturing of new proteins. That process is called autophagy, which means self-eating, and is important for cells to function. Disturbances in cell autophagy can be related to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and infections.
In his research, Yaowen Wu will focus on how and under what circumstances autophagosomes are formed. For instance, he will equip proteins that are vital to the functioning of autophagosomes with a form of switch, which would make it possible to turn on and off their activity. Using these, he will then observe the formation of autophagosomes and investigate how this process is governed naturally.
“The award will give me the opportunity to build up my research in Umeå for long-term exploration of intriguing and fundamental questions on autophagy mechanism. The work would be beneficial for the development of therapeutics against cancer, neurodegeneration and infection. The research lies in the interface between Chemistry and Biomedicine, and hence I hope we can establish the basis for future technology that can be widely applied to biomedical researches.
About Wallenberg Academy Fellow
The programme, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, has been founded in close collaboration with the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA), the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Swedish Academy and Swedish universities. Universities nominate researchers to the programme, the academies evaluate candidates and present the most promising researchers to the Academy, who make the final call. After that, the universities take over the long-term responsibility for the researchers and their operations.
Read more about all Wallenberg Academy FellowsPortrait photo for download(Photo: Markus Marcetic © The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation/The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences)
Hans AdolfssonVice-Chancellor of Umeå UniversityPhone: +46 90-786 53 50
Email: hans.adolfsson@umu.se
Dr. Yaowen WuChemical Genomics Centre of the Max Planck SocietyPhone: +49 (231) 133-2364
Email: yaowen.wu@cgc.mpg.de
Editor: Anna Lawrence