Research Groups

 

BMLS Director Ivan Dikic selected to receive the 2013 ASBMB William C. Rose Award

1st Augest 2012

 

1st August 2012 - The William C. Rose Award recognizes outstanding contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research as well as to the training of younger scientists, as epitomized by the late Dr. Rose. Since 1979, it is awarded annually by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Ivan Dikic was nominated for the award in recognition of his pioneering work on the role of Ubiquitin.

Ivan Dikic got interested in this small protein more than 10 years ago, when he realized how poorly understood the complexity of the system was. Ubiquitin is covalently attached to thousands of cellular proteins, thereby regulating many processes. Dikic showed that Ubiquitin acts as a multivalent cellular signal recognized by an expanding number of binding proteins that in turn translate this molecular signal into appropriate cellular phenotypes. His group identified several novel Ubiquitin binding domains and used structural and functional studies to demonstrate their roles in the regulation of DNA repair, inflammation, receptor endocytosis, and proteasomal degradation. Most recently, they have described mechanisms by which linear Ubiquitination can regulate the NF-kB pathway and apoptosis.

In addition, Ivan Dikic has also mentored numerous young scientists in Germany as well as Croatia. Besides leading the Institute of Biochemistry II and the Buchmann Institute in Frankfurt, he has established a Laboratory for Tumor Biology at the Medical School in Split where he supports training and education of young scientists in Croatia. He is an active promoter of popularization of science in general public in many programs (public lectures, media science discussion, and organization of multidisciplinary courses).

Ivan Dikic grew up in Croatia, where he trained as a medical doctor. He obtained his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Zagreb while working under the supervision of Joseph Schlessinger at New York University Medical Center. He is currently a Professor at Goethe University Medical School and Director of the Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences in Frankfurt, Germany. His recent recognitions and awards include the election in the German Academy Leopoldina (2010) and EMBO (2004), the ERC Advanced grant 2010, the German Cancer Prize 2010, and the Hans Krebs Prize 2010.

Link to ASBMB Press release.