BIOGRAPHY

I studied Life Science at the Leibniz University of Hanover where I received my Bachelor’s degree in 2012 and my Master’s degree in 2014. During that time, I also spent a semester abroad studying at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (from 09/2013 to 02/2014). I did my graduate research in the group of Janine Kirstein at the FMP in Berlin and received my PhD from the Humboldt University in 2021. The focus of my PhD research was molecular chaperones and amyloids in the context of aging and disease.

The Laboratory for Synthetic Macromolecular Assemblies led by Dr. George Lu is interested in gas vesicles, protein nanostructures originally found in photosynthetic bacteria. Gas vesicles provide buoyancy to their native hosts and have recently come into focus for biotechnological applications. Gas vesicles stabilize air bubbles inside the bacterial cytosol and provide a liquid-gas interface inside the cell, which can be utilized for ultrasound or MRI contrast. In the Lu Lab, we are now leveraging the power of synthetic biology to expand the applications of these fascinating protein nanostructures. By engineering genes and cells, we aim to build gas vesicles that perform even better in biotechnological and biomedical applications.
Following the last decades’ exciting advances in optogenetics – the method by which cellular behavior is controlled with light – I now aim to leverage the potential of gas vesicles to enable cellular control by ultrasound. This “sonogenetics” method will open the next page in cellular control by enabling the ultrasound-triggered activation of gene expression in engineered cells. Our method could enable fast, precise and non-invasive (think sonography) switching of gene expression in deep tissues of future patients, providing a powerful tool for basic research and therapeutic applications.

Having crossed over into bioengineering due to my interest in the field, I anticipate that the exchange with the other members of the Academy will inspire me and help me find new directions for my research. I am very excited that I could make the jump across the ocean even in this challenging time and believe that scientific research is intrinsically international and depends on the exchange with other researchers!

I am very enthusiastic about eating, drinking and making food myself and, in most weeks, you may find me with some homemade pastry or snack in our office in the BRC. I am glad to share if you happen to come around! On top of that, I am always looking to explore new food in the city. I am also very interested in foreign languages and besides German and English, I also speak Japanese and Spanish and I am always looking to practice my skills!