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ETHER LIPID METABOLISM RESEARCH GROUP:
THE WATSCHINGER LAB

Our body synthesises a fascinating variety of lipids in order to maintain vital functions. Still, many processes and whole lipid classes are not well understood. Ether lipids including the plasmalogens form such a class of lipids. They are important for physiological processes like fine-structuring of the brain, protection of the eye from cataract, sperm maturation, and signalling. More and more conditions including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and recently Covid-19 have been emerging over the last years as being linked to ether lipids but the pathophysiological mechanisms are not clear.

The mission and fascination of my laboratory lies in unravelling the underlying molecular mechanisms in ether lipid metabolism to increase our understanding of the processes that can ultimately lead to disease in humans, thus providing novel treatment targets in the future. Our main focus lies on two enzymes in ether lipids metabolism, AGMO and PEDS1, whose genes we could describe during the last years.

Open positions:
If you are looking for a bachelor, master or PhD thesis, please contact Assoc.Prof. Katrin Watschinger!